Optics: measuring and testing – Position or displacement – Position transverse to viewing axis
Reexamination Certificate
2003-05-30
2004-09-14
Pham, Hoa Q. (Department: 2877)
Optics: measuring and testing
Position or displacement
Position transverse to viewing axis
C345S175000, C345S157000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06791700
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus, and more particularly relates to an optical touch panel type coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus, that is integrated and used with an electronic white board or a large display apparatus, or used in conjunction with a personal computer, and that optically detects a coordinate position designated by a designating member, such as a pen, or a finger, for inputting or selecting information represented by the coordinate position designated by the designating member.
2. Discussion of the Background
A coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus is known in which, when a coordinate inputting surface of the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus is pressed by a pen or when the pen approaches the coordinate inputting surface, an electrical change is caused by an electrostatic charge or an electromagnetic induction, and thereby the coordinate position of a point pressed or approached by the pen is detected.
Also, a touch panel type coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus using an ultrasonic wave is known in which, when a panel is touched, a surface elastic wave emitted across and over the panel is attenuated and thereby a touched position on the panel is detected, as described, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 61-239322.
However, in such a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus that detects a coordinate position using an electrostatic force or an electromagnetic induction, an electrical switching function must be provided at a coordinate inputting surface of the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus, thus increasing the manufacturing cost of the apparatus. Further, the pen must be connected to a main body of the apparatus, for example by a cable, which makes the operation relatively difficult.
Further, a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus using an ultrasonic wave is generally configured assuming that a finger is used for a designating device. When a pen made of soft elastic material is used as the designating device, in writing a straight line with the pen on a panel, for example, although the attenuation of a surface elastic wave is reliably obtained when the pen is pressed against the panel, a sufficient contact of the pen with the panel is not obtained when the pen is moved, and thereby the line is broken. On the other hand, if the pen is pressed unnecessarily strongly while moving the pen for obtaining the sufficient contact with the panel, as the pen is moved, the panel receives a stress from the pen because of the elasticity of the pen. This causes a distortion in the panel, and a reverting force is exerted while the pen is moved. Therefore, in writing a curved line with the pen, the force of pressing the pen decreases such that the reverting force is greater than the pressing force. As a result, the attenuation of the surface elastic wave is not reliably obtained and thereby it is determined that the input is discontinued. Thus, the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus using an ultrasonic wave has a problem in obtaining a high reliability of detecting an input when a pen is used as a designating device.
Further, various attempts have been made to solve the drawback of the above-described coordinate inputting/detecting apparatuses by providing optical type coordinate inputting/detecting apparatuses as described, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open publications No. 5-173699 and No. 9-319501. A touch panel type coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus having a relatively simple construction can be realized using such an optical type coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus.
Optical type coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus have recently become widely used in conjunction with a personal computer as an effective tool for inputting or selecting information in the personal computer. However, unlike a coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus using an ultrasonic wave, a coordinate inputting/detecting surface (i.e., a touch panel) of such optical type coordinate inputting apparatuses does not have a detecting function by itself, and an optical detecting area is provided at a position slightly apart from the coordinate inputting/detecting surface of the coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus. Therefore, a space deviation exists between the actual plane where, for example, an image (e.g., character) is drawn (written) with a finger, i.e., the coordinate inputting/detecting surface, and a plane where the coordinates of the drawn image (character) are detected, and contrary to the intention of a person drawing the image (character), a trail is caused on the drawn image (character), that is reproduced, for example, on a display. That is, in an optical type coordinate inputting/detecting apparatus, a point at which a finger separates from the touch panel is detected not in an instance when the finger actually separates from the touch panel, but when the finger separates from the touch panel by more than a certain distance. Therefore, before the finger reaches such a position separated from the touch panel by more than the certain distance and at which the finger is detected as separated from the touch panel, despite the finger having already separated from the touch panel surface and drawing of a desired character having been already completed, the finger is still detected as touching the touch panel (as being inserted in the coordinate inputting/detecting area). Thereby, an unintended line is drawn at a part of a reproduced image. Such a phenomenon of drawing an intended line is called a trailing phenomenon.
For example, as illustrated in
FIG. 33
, when a coordinate inputting/detecting area
200
is provided at a surface side of a touch panel
201
, and if a finger
202
draws a line along the surface of the touch panel
201
and separates from the surface of the touch panel
201
upon ending the drawing at a point P, the finger
202
is continued to be detected by a detecting light, i.e. the finger
202
is detected as touching the touch panel
202
, until reaching a point P′ where the finger
202
leaves the coordinate inputting/detecting area
200
, and at that point P′ the finger
202
is first detected as separated from the touch panel
202
. Accordingly, a drawing line
203
which is displayed at a surface of the touch panel
201
via a display device does not end at the point P but instead is shown as extending to the point P′, and the part between the points P and P′ is displayed as a trailing line
204
. In practical drawing cases, for example, in drawing a Japanese Kanji character “
” (“ni”) as illustrated in
FIG. 34A
, a line is first drawn from a point {circle around (
1
)} to a point {circle around (
2
)}, and then the finger is separated from the touch panel
202
at the point {circle around (
2
)}. Thereafter, another line is drawn from a point {circle around (
3
)} to a point {circle around (
4
)}, and the finger is separated from the touch panel
201
at a point {circle around (
4
)}. In actual drawings, however, when the finger separates from the touch panel
201
at each ending portion
205
of the points {circle around (
2
)} and {circle around (
4
)}, the above-described trailing phenomenon occurs, such that a trailing line
204
of a whisker is generated at each ending portion
205
as illustrated in
FIG. 34B
, thereby deteriorating the visibility of the drawn characters. Therefore, after the drawing is completed, a troublesome operation, such as erasing the trailing
204
by manipulating an erasing tool, is necessary.
Further, some Japanese Kanji and Hiragana characters have a sweeping up portion, such as, for example, a sweeping up portion
206
of Japanese Kanji character “
” (“sun”) as illustrated in
FIG. 34C
, and a sweeping portion, such as, for example, a sweeping portion
207
of Japanese Hiragana character “
” (“tsu”) as illustrated in FIG.
34
E. Because these sweeping up and sweeping portions are requisite drawings in Japanese Kanji and Hiragana chara
Omura Katsuyuki
Sato Mitsuru
Tsuda Kunikazu
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Pham Hoa Q.
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
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