CN103946776A - Operating member having light-emitting portion, and input system equipped with same operating member - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an operating component having a light-emitting part that is not misidentified by an input device. One aspect of the operating component of the present invention is a light-emitting pen having a light-emitting part and a diffusion member at a light-emitting position to diffuse the light emitted from the light-emitting part.

Description

Operating member having a light emitting unit and input system provided with the operating member

technical field

The present invention relates to an operating member having a light emitting unit and an input system including the operating member.

Background technique

There is known an input system that combines a stick-shaped operating member such as a touch pen or a stylus (hereinafter referred to as a pen) with a coordinate input device (position detection device) such as a tablet or a touch panel that receives coordinate input from the pen. The pen is brought close to or touched to the coordinate input area of the coordinate input device, and the coordinate input device obtains the coordinates of the position where the pen is close to or touched (hereinafter referred to as touch). The obtained coordinates are used, for example, to display images such as point images and line images on a display screen such as a separate liquid crystal display from the coordinate input device, or a liquid crystal panel laminated integrally with the coordinate input device.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the coordinate input device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes: a touch panel 101; optical units 102L, 102R for detecting a touch with a dedicated pen 106 on the touch panel 101; and a system control unit 104 for inputting to the optical unit 102L. , 102R detection signal to calculate the touched point (touch point). The coordinates calculated by the system control unit 104 are input to the personal computer 108 through the interface unit 105 . Furthermore, this coordinate input device includes a dedicated pen receiving unit 107 that receives light emitted from the dedicated pen 106 and inputs it to the system control unit 104 . The dedicated pen 106 is provided with: a battery not shown; a control unit that is supplied with power by contacting the battery to light an LED (Light Emitting Diode: Light Emitting Diode); and a battery contact plate that has elasticity so that the battery and The control part contacts or separates. The battery contact plate is pressed into the interior of the pen when the pen tip is pressed, bringing the battery and the control into contact. At this time, the LED lights up, and the lighted light signal is received wirelessly or wiredly by the dedicated pen receiving unit 107 shown in FIG. 6 . The special pen 106 is configured to generate a light signal only when the pen tip is pressed.

The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 does not detect the position coordinates based on the light emitted by the special-purpose pen. That is, the light of the special pen disclosed in Patent Document 1 is only used to detect the existence of the special pen in the shape of a touch surface, and the position of the special pen is not obtained based on the light. In contrast, Patent Document 2 discloses a position detection device that detects position coordinates based on emitted light.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 , the position detection device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is internally equipped with a plate-shaped light guide body 1101, in which a plurality of plate-shaped light guides 1101 that absorb light inside are arranged in parallel at a distance from each other. Absorber or optical shielding body 1102 that shields light; light detection unit 1103, which detects light at the end face of the light guide perpendicular to the plate-shaped optical absorber or optical shielding body, and detects light on the light-emitting object 1104 (such as a pen) ) contacts the surface of the light guide, the photodetection unit receives the light propagating in the light guide in the direction parallel to the plate-shaped optical absorber or optical shield, and detects the position of the object to be detected.

prior art literature

patent documents

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-99199 (published on April 4, 2003)

Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-338168 (published on December 2, 2004)

Contents of the invention

The problem to be solved by the invention

In the above-mentioned position detection device of Patent Document 2, the measuring object 1104 (such as a pen) that emits light is configured to emit light that does not radiate and diffuse (directional light) toward the light guide 1101 . However, when light that is not diffused is used in this way, there is a problem that the amount of light coupled to the light guide plate greatly increases or decreases depending on the inclination angle of the object 1104 (for example, a pen) to be measured. Therefore, sometimes the optical signal cannot be detected or cannot be detected correctly. This can be said to be the same in Patent Document 1 as well. That is, the light emitted from the special-purpose pen of Patent Document 1 also does not radiate diffused light (directional light), so there is a possibility that the inclination angle of the pen may affect detection accuracy.

solutions to problems

The present invention was made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an operation member that emits light received by an imaging element provided in an input device without being misrecognized, and an input system including the operation member.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the operating part of the present invention

It emits light received by an imaging element provided in the input device, and has a light emitting unit, and has a diffusion member at the light emitting position, and the diffusion member diffuses the light emitted from the light emitting unit.

According to the above configuration, the operating member can be, for example, a luminous pen, but by disposing a diffusing member for diffusing light at the light emitting position, diffused light can be supplied from the operating member. Therefore, it is possible to achieve a state in which the light quantity of light received by the imaging element does not depend on the inclination angle of the operation member, compared to providing light that does not diffuse as in the conventional configuration.

For example, a light guide member is provided on the surface of the input device, and the operating member is made to approach or contact the light guide member, thereby obtaining the proximity or contact of the operating member by receiving the light that is coupled to the light guide member and propagated by the imaging element. In this case, the two-dimensional position coordinates can avoid a situation in which the amount of light coupled to the light guide member greatly increases or decreases depending on the inclination angle of the operation member according to the above configuration.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to contribute to accurate detection of position coordinates.

In addition, one aspect of the operating member of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration,

Preferably, the diffusion member includes a resin, and the resin includes a light diffusion material.

According to the above configuration, light can be effectively diffused.

In addition, one aspect of the operating member of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration,

Preferably, the diffusion member has elasticity and is configured to contact the surface of the input device.

According to the above configuration, the elastic diffusion member is brought into contact with the surface of the input device, whereby the diffusion member is pressed by the contact and the contact area is enlarged. Thus, outgoing diffused light can be effectively coupled to the surface of the input device. Therefore, for example, a light guide member is provided in the input device, and the light coupled to the light guide member is received by the imaging element to propagate the light, thereby obtaining the two-dimensional position coordinates of the contact of the operation member. In this case, the More light is coupled to the light guide to propagate.

In addition, one aspect of the operating member of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration,

Preferably, the diffusion member has a curved surface at least at a portion facing the input device, and has a diameter of 2.5 to 5.5 mm.

According to the above configuration, the diffusion can be maintained, and the position coordinates can be obtained with high accuracy by smooth writing.

In addition, one aspect of the operating member of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration,

It is preferable that the above-mentioned diffusion member has wear resistance on its surface.

According to the above configuration, the diffusion can be maintained, and the position coordinates can be obtained with high accuracy by smooth writing.

In addition, one aspect of the operating member of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration,

Preferably, the diffusion member has irregularities formed on at least a surface of a portion facing the input device.

According to the above configuration, the diffusion can be maintained, and the position coordinates can be obtained with high accuracy by smooth writing.

In addition, one aspect of the operating member of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration,

Preferably, the diffusion member is configured to be detachable from the operation member.

According to the above configuration, since the diffusion member is detachable from the operation member, even if the diffusion member is damaged for some reason (including deterioration over time), the operation member can be continued to be used only by replacing the diffusion member. It can be used continuously at low cost compared with the configuration in which operating parts are replaced together.

In addition, in order to solve the above problems, the input system of the present invention

It is provided with: an input device having an imaging element; and an operation part that emits light received by the imaging element, and obtains the operation located on or above the input device using an image obtained from the imaging element by receiving the light. The two-dimensional position coordinates of the component, characterized in that,

The operation member has a light emitting portion, and has a diffusion member for diffusing light emitted from the light emitting portion at a light emission position.

According to the above configuration, the operating member can be, for example, a luminous pen, but by disposing a diffusing member for diffusing light at the light emitting position, diffused light can be supplied from the operating member. Therefore, it is possible to achieve a state in which the light quantity of light received by the imaging element does not depend on the inclination angle of the operation member, compared to providing light that does not diffuse as in the conventional configuration.

For example, a light guide member is provided on the surface of the input device, and the operating member is made to approach or contact the light guide member, thereby obtaining the proximity or contact of the operating member by receiving the light that is coupled to the light guide member and propagated by the imaging element. In this case, the two-dimensional position coordinates can avoid a situation in which the amount of light coupled to the light guide member greatly increases or decreases depending on the inclination angle of the operation member according to the above configuration.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to contribute to accurate detection of position coordinates.

Invention effect

As described above, the operating member and the input system including the operating member of the present invention can contribute to accurate position coordinate detection.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an input system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line AA' shown in Fig. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a pen of the input system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram of an acquired image acquired by an imaging element included in the pen input device of the input system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an input system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a diagram of a conventional configuration.

Fig. 7 is a diagram of a conventional configuration.

Detailed ways

[Embodiment 1]

One embodiment of the input system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 .

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an input system according to the present embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line AA' shown in Fig. 1 .

(Structure of input system)

As shown in FIG. 1 , an input system 50 according to this embodiment includes a pen input device 40 (coordinate input device) and a pen 3 (operating member). surface), the coordinates of the touch position on the touch surface can be obtained.

●Pen input device 40

As shown in FIG. 1 , the pen input device 40 has: a liquid crystal display panel 2 (image display panel); a quadrangular transparent light guide plate 1 (light guide member), which is overlapped and disposed on the display surface side of the liquid crystal display panel 2; and an imaging unit 10 and 20 (detection units), which are respectively arranged at both ends of a certain side of the transparent light guide plate 1 .

In the liquid crystal display panel 2 , a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a pair of substrates, and each substrate is provided with at least various electrodes for changing the alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer by voltage application. Then, by changing the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules by applying a voltage, the amount of light transmitted through the liquid crystal layer of each pixel is adjusted, and a desired display is performed. A conventionally known liquid crystal display panel can be used for the configuration of the liquid crystal display panel 2 .

The transparent light guide plate 1 is a flat plate made of a translucent material. As shown in FIG. 1 , they are superimposed on the display surface side of the liquid crystal display panel 2 . The size of the transparent light guide plate 1 can be substantially the same as that of the liquid crystal display panel. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the side on which the imaging units 10 and 20 are disposed is configured to be larger than the liquid crystal display panel 2 . Thereby, at least a part of the imaging units 10 and 20 can be arranged on the back side of the transparent light guide plate 1 . This suppresses enlargement of the size of the pen input device 40 along the direction in which the touch surface spreads, and contributes to realization of a compact size.

The surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 opposite to the liquid crystal display panel 2 is a touch surface touched by the pen 3 .

In addition, the end portions (corners) where the imaging units 10 and 20 are arranged in the transparent light guide plate 1 are respectively provided with concave conical surface-shaped cutouts 1 a (optical path conversion portions). The angle (γ shown in FIG. 2 ) formed by the conical surface of the cutout 1 a and the back surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 is 45 degrees or less, and can be selected from 30 degrees and 45 degrees. The mirror coating 6 (optical path conversion part) is given to the conical notch 1a. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2 , the optical path of the light propagating inside the transparent light guide plate 1 and reaching the notch 1 a is changed toward the lower side of the transparent light guide plate 1 , that is, the back surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 . In addition, even if there is no mirror coating 6 , the conical surface of the notch 1 a can change the optical path to the lower side of the transparent light guide plate 1 . That is, the transparent light guide plate 1 does not have to be a complete quadrilateral, but may be a substantially quadrilateral with corners cut off or R-processed at the corners as described above.

The thickness of the transparent light guide plate 1 is mainly 1-3 mm. As the material of the transparent light guide plate 1, for example, acrylic resin, polycarbonate, or glass may be used. In addition, the thickness of the transparent light guide plate 1 is mainly used in the range of 1 to 3 mm, but it may be thicker than this. In addition, the size of the transparent light guide plate 1 (the size of the touch surface) can be about 1 m square, but it is not limited thereto.

The imaging units 10 and 20 are disposed directly below the conical cutout 1 a of the transparent light guide plate 1 . That is, the imaging units 10 and 20 are arranged at two positions separated from each other at the end of the transparent light guide plate 1 . In addition, the imaging units 10 and 20 do not protrude upward beyond the touch surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 . The imaging unit 10 has a lens 11 , a visible light cut filter 12 , and an imaging element 13 . In addition, the imaging unit 20 also has a lens 21 , a visible light cut filter 22 , and an imaging element 23 in the same manner. The imaging units 10 , 20 are connected to the transparent light guide plate 1 , and light that does not propagate through the transparent light guide plate 1 is not coupled to the imaging elements 13 , 23 .

In addition, in the present embodiment, the notch 1a is configured in a conical shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be configured in a polygonal shape.

●Pen 3

On the other hand, the pen 3 corresponding to the pen input device 40 is an operation member called a so-called touch pen or stylus. The details of the pen 3 will be described using FIG. 3 .

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the pen 3, and for convenience of description, a part of the housing is removed to expose the internal structure. The pen 3 is housed inside a housing 35 that forms an outer shape: a light emitting unit 30 having a light emitting element 31 that emits infrared light and a light guide member 32 that guides the infrared light to the tip of the pen 3; a power supply unit 33; and a control unit. device34. In addition, the characteristic configuration of the pen 3 of this embodiment is that the light emitting unit 30 is disposed at the tip of the pen 3 and a light diffusing member 36 for diffusing light is attached to the light emitting side.

This light-diffusing member 36 contains resin, and the said resin contains a light-diffusion material. Glass beads can be used as the light-diffusing material. In addition, as the above-mentioned resin, fluororesin (specifically, polytetrafluoroethylene) and silicone rubber can be used, and it is preferable to have an elastic structure. By using an elastic material, when the tip of the pen 3, that is, the light diffusion member 36 is used in contact with the transparent light guide plate 1 of the pen input device 40, the surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 is not damaged, and the contact portion is slightly deformed due to the contact. , the contact area with the surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 can be increased, so the amount of light coupled to the surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 can be increased.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the light emitting surface of the light diffusing member 36 has a curved surface. That is, the light diffusion member 36 is substantially hemispherical and has a diameter of 2.5 to 5.5 mm. When the diameter is less than 2.5, sufficient diffused light may not be formed, and when the light diffusing member 36 is used in contact with the transparent light guide plate 1 of the pen input device 40, it is possible to secure sufficient contact area between the light and the transparent guide plate 1. The surface of the optical panel 1 is not sufficiently coupled. In addition, when the diameter exceeds 5.5 mm, the diffused light is too scattered, and it may be difficult to perform accurate position detection, and when the light diffusing member 36 is brought into contact with the transparent light guide plate 1 of the pen input device 40, the contact area is too wide. Therefore, excessive frictional resistance may impair operability. Therefore, if the diameter is set to 2.5 to 5.5 mm, light can be diffused, position coordinates can be detected with high precision, and smooth writing (tactile sensation) can be realized. In addition, the curved surface does not have to have a uniform curvature, and the curvature may be different between the region that becomes the tip end of the pen 3 and the region surrounding it.

Furthermore, fine concavo-convex shapes may be provided on the surface of the curved surface. Light can be diffused by using the fine unevenness. In addition, when the light diffusing member 36 is brought into contact with the transparent light guide plate 1 of the pen input device 40, the contact area with the transparent light guide plate 1 is reduced due to the fine unevenness, and the frictional force during sliding is reduced, so smooth movement can be realized. Writing (tactile). In addition, in the case of providing fine unevenness in this way, the light-diffusing member 36 does not contain a light-diffusing material, but contains a resin monomer, and by providing fine unevenness in the area facing the transparent light guide plate 1 in the resin, it also functions. to the light diffusion effect. In other words, if fine asperities are formed in addition to the light-diffusing material, the light-diffusing effect can be further enhanced. The fine unevenness can be formed by mold molding, but it is not limited to this method. In addition, the contact area with the transparent light guide plate 1 is reduced by providing fine unevenness, but the reduction in the amount of coupled light due to this is about 5%, so the detection of positional coordinates is not greatly affected.

Moreover, it is preferable to give abrasion-resistant processing to the light emission surface of the light-diffusion member 36. As shown in FIG. It is not necessary when the light-diffusing member 36 is made of polytetrafluoroethylene, but when the light-diffusing member 36 itself is made of another material that is not excellent in wear resistance, it is effective to perform abrasion-resistant processing on the light-emitting surface. The wear-resistant processing is not particularly limited, and a processing in which, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene is applied to the light-emitting surface of the light-diffusing member 36 is mentioned.

Furthermore, the light diffusion member 36 is configured to be detachable from the pen 3 . Even if the light diffusion member 36 is damaged for some reason (including deterioration over time), the pen 3 can be continued to be used only by replacing the light diffusion member 36 . Compared with the configuration in which the continuous pen 3 is replaced at the same time, it can be used continuously at low cost. In order to be detachable, the part on the side where the light diffusing member 36 is attached (in this embodiment, the light guide member 32) is provided with a groove structure, a snap-fit structure, or a fitting structure at a portion in contact with the light diffusing member 36. (not shown), and the light-diffusing member 36 is provided with a structure (not shown) that cooperates with this structure. In addition, in this embodiment, the light-diffusing member 36 is attached to the light-guiding member 32, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the case 35 may be provided with the light-diffusing member 36 or other forms.

The light emitting element 31 can use an LED (light emitting diode: light emitting diode) or an LD (laser diode: laser diode) that emits infrared light. In addition, LED or LD is not limited to the structure provided with only one with respect to one pen 3, You may mount multiple.

Infrared light from the light-emitting element 31 that receives power from the power supply unit 33 and emits light enters the light-diffusing member 36 via the light-guiding member 32 , and is diffusely reflected by the light-diffusing material and the fine unevenness of the light-diffusing member 36 . Then, diffused light is emitted from the light emitting surface of the light diffusing member 36 .

The power supply device 33 may be configured as a rechargeable type instead of having a built-in battery, for example.

The above-mentioned control device 34 controls the light emission of the light emitting element 31 . For example, the light emitting element 31 adopts a mechanism that emits light only when it touches the transparent light guide plate 1 . This mechanism is constituted by using a pressure-sensitive switch, etc., and since the lighting time can be controlled, power consumption can be reduced and battery life can be extended.

As described above, the pen 3 is provided with a light source (light emitting unit) that emits infrared light, and is configured to diffuse and radiate infrared light from the pen tip. When the nib of the pen 3 touches the transparent light guide plate 1 , part of the infrared light radiated from the pen tip is coupled to the transparent light guide plate 1 and propagates in the transparent light guide plate 1 . The pen 3 diffuses and radiates infrared light from the pen tip, so the light coupled to the transparent light guide plate 1 diffuses radiation within the transparent light guide plate 1 . Accordingly, the position coordinates can be obtained with high accuracy.

Then, the imaging units 10 and 20 respectively capture infrared light propagating inside the transparent light guide plate 1 (hereinafter referred to as propagating light 4 a and 4 b ), and obtain the two-dimensional position coordinates of the contact from the respective images obtained from the imaging device 13 . The light receiving surface of the imaging element 13 is arranged parallel to the surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 . The detection principle of the pen input will be described in detail below.

(Detection principle of pen input)

When the tip of the pen 3 touches the touch surface (surface of the transparent light guide plate) of the pen input device, part of the infrared light radiated from the light pen enters the transparent light guide plate 1 having a refractive index N. In the incident light, the propagation angle θ _P in the transparent light guide plate 1 satisfies the formula:

sinθ _P <1/N

As shown in FIG. 2 , the light beam under the conditions shown is enclosed in the transparent light guide plate 1 , repeatedly reflected on the surface and back of the transparent light guide plate 1 , and travels through the transparent light guide plate 1 .

The infrared light emitted from the pen 3 spreads radially around the pen tip and propagates in the transparent light guide plate 1. Part of the light beams 4a and 4b in the light beam are also guided to the end face of the conical cutout 1a, and the reflection of the end face The light is received by the camera unit 10 , 20 . Specifically, the reflected light from the end surface is collected by the lenses 11 and 21 , then passes through the visible light cut filters 12 and 22 , and is finally received by the imaging elements 13 and 23 . The visible light cut filters 12 and 22 function to transmit infrared light radiated from the pen and block light in other wavelength bands. By using the visible light cut-off filters 12 and 22, stray light such as sunlight and backlight of a liquid crystal display panel are blocked, and the SN ratio can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 4( a ), the light emitted from the pen 3 propagates through the transparent light guide plate 1 and exits to form a linear image 15 on the imaging element 13 via the lens 11 . The position of the linear image 15 changes according to the position of the pen 3. By analyzing the images obtained by the camera unit, the angles α and β formed by the light beams 4a, 4b and one side of the transparent light guide plate are obtained respectively, and obtained by using the principle of triangulation The position coordinates of the point where the pen tip touches to become the light source. In FIG. 4(a), when the pen is at the position 3a, a linear image 15 can be formed. When the pen moves to the position 3b, a linear image 17 can be formed.

The acquired image of the imaging element 13 is shown in FIG.4(b). When the tip of the pen 3 irradiated with infrared rays touches the transparent light guide plate 1 , nothing appears on the image captured by the imaging device 13 . On the other hand, when the nib of the pen 3 in the state of irradiating infrared rays from the light emitting part contacts the transparent light guide plate 1 and the infrared light is coupled to the transparent light guide plate 1, as shown in FIG. The imaging element 13 forms a linear image on the imaging surface of the imaging element 13, and the linear image 15 appears on the acquired image.

The position of the linear image 15 shown in FIG. 4 changes according to the position of the contact point of the pen tip of the pen 3. When the position of the contact point of the pen tip is changed, the linear image 17 shown by the dotted line changes. The trajectory of this linear image becomes a sector 16 shown by a dashed-dotted line. The angle of rotation α ₁ ' (with the center of the arc as the center of rotation) and the angle α ₁ of the line segment connecting the center of the sector and the linear image are the same angle, and the angle α ₁ is the line segment connecting the pen 3 and the imaging element 13 and the transparent The angle formed by the above-mentioned one side of the light guide plate 1 . α ₁ ′ is obtained from the acquired image of the imaging device, and α ₁ is obtained from α ₁ ′. Similarly, when the pen moves to the position 3b, a linear image 17 is formed, and α ₂ is obtained by obtaining the inclination α ₂ ′ of the linear image 17 .

As for the imaging device 23, the position of the luminous point is also determined by analyzing the acquired image, and the angle β formed by the line segment connecting the pen 3 and the imaging device 23 and the above-mentioned side of the transparent light guide plate 1 can be obtained.

Then, when the distance between the imaging elements is L, the shift angle of the bright spot obtained by reading the image from the imaging element 13 is α, and the bright spot obtained by reading the image obtained from the imaging element 23 is When the shift angle of is set to β, the coordinates (X, Y) of the bright spot satisfy the following relations (1) and (2):

Y=tanα·X...(1)

Y＝tanβ·(L－X)...(2)

. When solving for it, the coordinates (X, Y) of the bright spot are expressed as

X=tanβ·L/(tanα+tanβ)...(3)

Y=(tanα·tanβ)·L/(tanα+tanβ)…(4)

, using α and β obtained as described above and L that can be obtained in advance, the coordinates X and Y of the point where the pen tip touches can be obtained. Here, L is an interval between the imaging element 13 and the imaging element 23 and is a fixed value. By obtaining α, β, pen input coordinates X, Y (position coordinates) can be obtained.

In addition, the interval L between the imaging elements is the distance between the center of the optical axis of the lens 11 and the center of the optical axis of the lens 21 .

In order to obtain the position coordinates of the pen 3 by the above method, the input system 50 is provided with a position coordinate detection unit (not shown). The position coordinate detection unit can be provided in the pen input device 40 .

In addition, based on the position coordinates of the pen 3 obtained by the above method, driving the pixels of the liquid crystal display panel 2 corresponding to the position coordinates enables the user to visually recognize the touch position of the pen 3 . Therefore, a control unit (not shown) that controls the driving of the liquid crystal display panel 2 acquires information on the position coordinates obtained by the position coordinate detection unit, and drives the liquid crystal display panel 2 based on the information.

(Function and effect of the present embodiment)

As described above, the input system 50 of the present embodiment can obtain the position coordinates of the pen 3 by capturing propagating light at at least two separate locations at the end of the transparent light guide plate 1 . That is, as shown in FIG. 1 , the total number of imaging elements may be two imaging elements 13 and two imaging elements 23 . Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, it is not necessary to dispose an imaging element in each light guide region, which does not complicate or increase the size of the device, and does not increase the cost.

In addition, according to the above configuration, the transparent light guide plate is a simple plate, and the cost of a complicated light guide body as in Patent Document 1 is not required.

In addition, according to the configuration of the pen input device 40 of the present embodiment, since the imaging elements 13 and 23 are provided at positions that do not protrude above the touch surface of the transparent light guide plate 1, the touch surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 becomes the touch surface of the pen input device 40. On the uppermost surface of the touch surface, the imaging element does not protrude above the touch surface. Therefore, even when the pen input device 40 of the input system 50 of this embodiment is applied to a desktop terminal, the surrounding area does not bulge like an earth bank, and the surface can be completely flat.

In addition, the input system 50 of this embodiment is not a light-shielding method, but the light propagating inside the light guide plate is received by the imaging device, so there is no need to worry about false recognition due to stray light including sunlight, and accurate position detection can be realized. Therefore, the device can also be placed outside the house or outside the window.

In addition, in the pen input device 40 of the input system 50 of the present embodiment, the imaging units 10 and 20 that receive the radiated light from the tip of the pen 3 are connected to the transparent light guide plate 1 so that light that does not propagate through the transparent light guide plate 1 is not coupled to the transparent light guide plate 1. The structure of the imaging elements 13 and 23 . Therefore, even if illumination light is irradiated from the normal direction of the touch surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 , the light is not coupled to the transparent light guide plate 1 , so stray light is not guided to the imaging elements 13 , 23 . Therefore, the pen input device 40 is hardly affected by external light, and can be placed outdoors or by a window.

In addition, according to the above configuration, the two-dimensional position coordinates can be obtained from each image, so it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of light guide plates for obtaining the two-dimensional position coordinates as in Patent Document 1, which contributes to the miniaturization of the device.

In summary, the present invention having the above configuration can provide a highly versatile input system that realizes a full-plane coordinate input device and is not misrecognized even if a hand or the like touches the surface of the device.

In addition, in this embodiment, the configuration using two imaging elements, the imaging element 13 and the imaging element 23, has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is also possible to use from various parts of the end of the transparent light guide plate 1. A mirror and a shutter are integrated into one imaging element.

It should also be noted that, in this embodiment, the configuration using one pen 3 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Then even if multiple pens touch the touch surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 at the same time, the coordinates of each position can be obtained.

It should also be noted that, in this embodiment, the structure of obtaining light from both ends of one side of the transparent light guide plate 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be set as two different ones from the one side. Parts get light composition.

It should also be noted that, in this embodiment, the structure of obtaining light from both ends of one side of the transparent light guide plate 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the two adjacent sides of the transparent light guide plate 1 may be respectively Positions for capturing light are set, and the position coordinates of the pen 3 are obtained from the distance between the positions and the images obtained from the respective positions.

In addition, in this embodiment, the light emitted from the tip of the pen 3 is diffused by the light diffusion member 36 provided at the tip of the pen 3 . Accordingly, a sufficient amount of light can be coupled to the transparent light guide plate 1 regardless of the inclination angle of the pen 3 . Therefore, accurate position detection can be realized.

[Embodiment 2]

Another embodiment of the input system of the present invention will be described using FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the input system of the present embodiment. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment described above lies in the configuration of both ends of one side of the transparent light guide plate 1 .

Specifically, in Embodiment 1, the mirror coating 6 is applied to the conical surface of the cutout 1 a of the transparent light guide plate 1 . On the other hand, the input system of this embodiment is different in that the notch 1a' of the transparent light guide plate 1 of the pen input device 40' (coordinate input device) forms an angle perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the back surface of the transparent light guide plate 1. The cylindrical surface of the cutout 1a' is not mirror-coated, but instead mirror elements 14, 24 are arranged adjacent to the cutout 1a'.

That is, the end surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 is processed so as to provide arc-shaped cutouts similarly to the embodiment, but unlike the first embodiment, it has a vertical surface.

Furthermore, the imaging unit 10' has a mirror element 14, a lens 11, a visible light cut filter 12, and an imaging element 13. In addition, the imaging unit 20' has a mirror element 24, a lens 21, a visible light cut filter 22, and an imaging element 23.

The mirror elements 14, 24 include cylindrical surfaces 14b, 24b and conical surfaces 14a, 24a, and the conical surfaces 14a, 24a are mirror-coated.

The light beams propagating in the transparent light guide plate 1 and guided to the four corners of the light guide plate pass through the notch 1a′ having a concave cylindrical surface of the transparent light guide plate 1, exit the transparent light guide plate 1, and are guided to the mirror elements 14, 24. The conical surfaces 14 a , 24 a , and light beams reflected by the conical surfaces 14 a , 24 a are guided in the direction of the rear surface of the transparent light guide plate 1 . Then, the light is collected at the lenses 11 and 12, passed through the visible light cut filters 12 and 22, and received by the imaging elements 13 and 23. According to the inclination angle of the linear image of the photographed image, it is obtained by the same method as in the first embodiment described above. The azimuth angles α and β of the beam are obtained.

Assume a case where the size of the transparent light guide plate 1 is as large as about 1 m square. In this case, applying a mirror coating to the conical surfaces at the four corners of the transparent light guide plate 1 as in Embodiment 1 is difficult in terms of process, resulting in high cost. On the other hand, by separately providing the mirror elements 14 and 24 as in the present embodiment, it is only necessary to apply mirror coating to the conical surfaces of the mirror elements 14 and 24 which are much smaller than the transparent light guide plate 1. The operation is easy, and the mirror coating can be completed on a plurality of optical elements at one time, so the cost of the mirror element can also be reduced. In addition, by using a mirror element in which the conical surface serves as a mirror, the light refracted by the conical surface and emitted to the outside of the light guide plate is also reflected and guided to the imaging unit side, thereby improving light utilization efficiency.

[Embodiment 3]

Another embodiment of the input system of the present invention will be described.

In Embodiment 1 described above, the light propagating in the transparent light guide plate 1 is guided from both ends of one side of the transparent light guide plate 1 to the bottom of the transparent light guide plate 1 for imaging. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the pen 3 (FIG. 1) and the transparent light guide plate 1 similar to those in the first embodiment are used, and the infrared light emitted from the pen does not propagate through the transparent light guide plate but passes through the transparent light guide plate. is diffused along the surface of the transparent light guide plate. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the same imaging means as in Embodiment 1 is provided not below the transparent light guide plate but near the surface of the transparent light guide plate, and light is received at this position.

The imaging unit is provided at both ends of a certain side of the transparent light guide plate. When the light diffused along the surface of the transparent light guide plate is incident on these imaging units, a linear image is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The approach position coordinates of the pen 3 are obtained from the obtained angle and the distance between the imaging elements.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various changes can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Industrial availability

The present invention can be provided to all kinds of input systems that use a light-emitting pen to obtain the coordinate position of the pen.

Explanation of reference signs

1 Transparent light guide plate (light guide part)

1a, 1a' cutout (optical path conversion part)

2 Liquid crystal display panel (display device)

3 pens (luminous part)

4a, 4b Beam

6 Mirror coating (optical path conversion part)

10, 20, 10’, 20’ camera unit (detection unit)

11, 21 lens

12, 22 Visible light cut filter

13, 23 camera components

14, 24 Mirror element

14a, 24a conical surface

14b, 24b cylindrical surface

15 linear image

16 sectors

17 linear image

30 Luminous Department

31 light emitting element

32 Light guide components

33 Power supply unit

34 Controls

35 Shell

36 Light Diffusion Parts

40, 40' pen input device (input device)

50 input system

Claims (8)

1. An operation member that emits light received by an imaging element provided in an input device, comprising a light emitting unit and a diffusion member at a light emitting position, the diffusion member diffusing the light emitted from the light emitting unit. 2. The operation member according to claim 1, wherein the diffusing member includes a resin, and the resin includes a light diffusing material. 3. The operating member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the diffusion member has elasticity and is used to contact the surface of the input device. 4. The operating member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the diffusion member has a curved surface at least at a portion facing the input device, and has a diameter of 2.5 to 5.5 mm. 5. The operation member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the diffusion member has wear resistance on its surface. 6. The operation member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the diffuser member has irregularities formed on at least a surface of a portion facing the input device. 7. The operation member according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the diffusion member is configured to be detachable from the operation member. 8. An input system comprising: an input device having an imaging element; and an operating part that emits light received by the imaging element and uses an image obtained from the imaging element by receiving the light to obtain an image located at the input The two-dimensional position coordinates of the operating component on or above the device, characterized in that, The operation member has a light emitting portion, and has a diffusion member for diffusing light emitted from the light emitting portion at a light emission position.