JP2003099205A - Display integrated type coordinate input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display integrated type coordinate input device which is very convenient. SOLUTION: The display integrated type coordinate input device 100 is characterized in that an input surface 101 where coordinates are inputted with an instructing means substituting a mouse used for a computer and a display surface for displaying the processing result related to the inputted coordinates are the same or correspond to each other one to one, when 2nd coordinates different from 1st coordinates are inputted while the 1st coordinates have been inputted on the input surface 101, the position of the 2nd coordinates in uniquely computed according to the 1st coordinates so that the two coordinates on the input surface 101 are identifiable.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display-integrated coordinate input device, and more particularly to a display-integrated coordinate input device that positively and effectively utilizes two-point touch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a personal computer screen is displayed by using a PDP panel or a liquid crystal rear projector type panel,
There has been a display-integrated coordinate input device for inputting coordinates to this display screen by a pointing means such as a finger or a pointing rod instead of a mouse. By using this display-integrated coordinate input device, for example, effective lectures and presentations could be given at educational sites and conferences.

In recent years, in particular, a large-sized display section is desired because the cost of the display section (PDP panel or projector unit) has been reduced. For this reason, users are able to make more effective presentations. For example, it is becoming possible for a plurality of people to use one display-integrated coordinate input device at the same time, one person explaining a large flow, and the other person displaying an auxiliary material. That is, in the past,
For example, when a lecture or the like was being listened to while comparing the material at hand with the supplementary material or the like displayed on the OHP, it is becoming possible for a plurality of operators to listen to the lecture or the like on one large display surface.

As a disclosure of such a technique, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-47807 "Data input method using analog touch panel" is known. This publication discloses a technique of setting a function by the distance between two points. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-284899 "Multi-point operation correction device for touch panel" discloses a technique for executing a preset function when two points are touched.

[0005]

However, the conventional techniques have the following problems. First, when the display surface becomes large, there is a problem that icons and toolbars are displayed in a place where the operator cannot reach, which is rather inconvenient. This is because the toolbar is displayed at the top and is forced to move laterally to operate the icon.

Secondly, when a plurality of people operate one display surface, a state in which two points are simultaneously input (hereinafter, this state is referred to as a two-point touch) occurs. Therefore, there is a problem that the OS, which is supposed to input only one coordinate, cannot be processed, like a mouse pointer. In order to avoid this, in the conventional display-integrated coordinate input device, control is performed so as to ignore the touch of the second point. However, when a large display surface is provided, simultaneous use by a plurality of people is assumed, and there is a problem that convenience is reduced if the second input is ignored.

In addition, there is a problem in that when a two-point touch is made, a virtual image (dummy point) is generated and an intended operation cannot be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a highly convenient display-integrated coordinate input device.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 1 is an input surface for inputting coordinates by an instruction means which is a substitute for a mouse used in a computer. A display-integrated coordinate input device having the same or one-to-one correspondence with the display surface for displaying the processing result with respect to the input coordinates, wherein the first coordinates are input to the input surface. , When a second coordinate different from the first coordinate is input, the position of the second coordinate is uniquely calculated based on the first coordinate, and the two coordinates on the input surface are calculated. It is characterized by identifying.

That is, the invention according to claim 1 can handle the two-point touch as an effective touch by excluding the dummy points.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display-integrated coordinate input device, wherein an input surface for inputting coordinates by an indicating means which is a substitute for a mouse used in a computer and a display for displaying a processing result for the input coordinates. A display-integrated coordinate input device having the same surface or one-to-one correspondence, wherein coordinate input detection means for detecting input of coordinates and coordinates for calculating the position of the coordinates detected by the coordinate input detection means. Position calculation means, history storage means for storing a history regarding the transition of the coordinate position calculated by the coordinate position calculation means, and when there are a plurality of coordinate positions calculated by the coordinate position calculation means, Real coordinate identifying means for uniquely identifying the coordinates actually input to the input surface based on the history stored by the history storing means.

That is, according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to exclude a dummy point and handle a multi-point touch as an effective touch.

Further, a display-integrated coordinate input device according to a third aspect is the display-integrated coordinate input device according to the first or second aspect, in which two coordinates on the input surface are:
Second coordinate direction determining means for determining whether the coordinate input later of the two coordinates is the upper, lower, left, or right direction on the input surface with respect to the coordinate input first Is characterized by.

That is, according to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to perform processing based on the relative direction with respect to the second coordinate. For example, it becomes possible to contribute to the allocation of functions.

The display-integrated coordinate input device according to a fourth aspect is the display-integrated coordinate input device according to the first, second or third aspect, in which a distance between a plurality of coordinates input to the input surface is provided. And the inter-coordinate distance calculation means calculates that a certain two coordinates are within a predetermined distance range. Allocation function executing means for executing the function allocated to the initially input coordinate position based on the direction with respect to the initially input coordinates.

That is, the invention according to claim 4 prevents an operation which is not intended by the operator when the apparatus is used by a plurality of people simultaneously. In other words, by limiting the range of two-point touch, it is possible for multiple people to use it simultaneously.

The display-integrated coordinate input device according to a fifth aspect is the same as the display-integrated coordinate input device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the function is right-click, left-click, double-click, or drag of the mouse. Is transmitted.

In other words, the invention according to claim 5 can realize a mouse substitute operation by two-point touch.

The display-integrated coordinate input device according to a sixth aspect is the display-integrated coordinate input device according to the fourth aspect, further comprising a function allocating means for setting a function executed by the allocating function executing means. It is characterized by having.

That is, according to the sixth aspect of the invention, not only the mouse operation but also various operations can be assigned.

The display-integrated coordinate input device according to a seventh aspect is the display-integrated coordinate input device according to the fourth aspect, further comprising distance range setting means for setting the predetermined distance range. Characterize.

That is, according to the invention of claim 7, the distance range can be changed so that the operator can easily use it.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, the external appearance of the display-integrated coordinate input device will be shown, and then the configuration of the device and the processing flow of the device will be described.

FIG. 1 is an external configuration view showing an example of a display-integrated coordinate input device of the present embodiment from the front side. 2 is an external configuration diagram showing the display-integrated coordinate input device shown in FIG. 1 from the rear side. As shown in Figure 1,
The display-integrated coordinate input device 100 is mainly arranged on a plasma display panel (hereinafter, referred to as “PDP”) 101 for displaying an image, and in front of the PDP 101, and the PDP 101 is used as a coordinate input surface to write with a fingertip or a pen. Coordinate input unit 102 for inputting characters and figures
And a computer unit 103 that calculates the coordinate position on the coordinate input surface that is input (touched) with a fingertip or a pen, and that processes various software.
Equipped with.

As will be described later, the coordinate input unit 102 detects the input of coordinates by forming a fan-shaped light surface parallel to and in the immediate vicinity of the PDP 101. Therefore, it can be said that the coordinate input surface and the display surface are the same or have a one-to-one correspondence. That is, the PDP 101 is not only a coordinate input surface but also an image display surface for displaying the processing result by the computer unit 103 or the like as an image. Note that, hereinafter, the PDP 101 will be appropriately referred to as the display surface 101 or the input surface 101.

Various peripheral devices can be connected to the computer unit 103 of the display-integrated coordinate input device 100. As an example, a scanner for reading an image of a document or a printer for outputting image data on recording paper can be connected. The display-integrated coordinate input device 100 can be connected to a network via the computer unit 103, and various homepages can be displayed, for example. In addition, the display-integrated coordinate input device 1 is constructed by constructing a network.
It is also possible to send and receive files between 00 and other computers.

In FIG. 1, the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 includes a speaker 201, a power switch 202, and
A remote control light receiving unit 203 for receiving light from an operation remote controller (not shown) is provided. In addition, in FIG. 2, the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 includes a PDP 10
It is shown that an operation panel 204 for setting the brightness, contrast, etc. of No. 1 is provided. Although not shown, the computer unit 103 also includes a connector panel for connecting to the PDP 101 and other external devices.

The display-integrated coordinate input device 100 is
It also includes a keyboard base 205 on which a keyboard can be placed in a state in which it can always be used, and casters 206 for moving the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 together with the housing.

The display-integrated coordinate input device may have a structure as shown in FIG. 3 as the display surface 101 becomes larger. That is, as shown in the figure, the display-integrated coordinate input device 300 includes a large-sized display surface 301, a coordinate input unit 302, and a computer unit 303. The figure further shows the manner of usage by a plurality of operators.

(Coordinate Input Unit 102: Overall Structure) Next, the coordinate input unit 102 will be described. Figure 4
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a coordinate input unit. In FIG. 1, the coordinate input unit 102 is shown as a frame that covers the PDP 101, but FIG. 4 shows the internal configuration thereof. The coordinate input unit 102 emits a rectangular coordinate input surface 401 for inputting coordinates (position A in the figure) with a finger or the like, irradiation light spreading in a fan shape along the coordinate input surface 401, and the coordinate input surface 401.
Optical unit 402 for receiving reflected light traveling along
(The left optical unit is 402L and the right optical unit is 402R), and the irradiation light emitted by the optical unit 402 arranged on the outer edge of the coordinate input unit 102 is recursively reflected in the incident direction. It has a reflecting portion 403 that does. The input of the coordinates is detected by the optical unit 402.

The coordinate input unit 102 includes the coordinate input surface 4
01: Shielding direction of finger and optical unit 40
The coordinate point is detected based on the distance between the two. Although the coordinate input surface 401 corresponds to (the surface portion of) the PDP 101, the coordinate input surface 401 is considered here as a surface for inputting coordinates. Next, each part which comprises the coordinate input unit 102 is demonstrated.

(Coordinate Input Unit 102: Structure of Reflector) The surface of the reflector 403 is covered with a member that recursively reflects light. An example is a corner cube reflector. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a corner cube reflector. The same figure (a) shows a perspective view, and the same figure (b) shows the sectional view in the straight line which passes along the vertex and the center of the circle of a bottom face. The corner cube reflector has a conical shape and its inner surface is vapor-deposited with aluminum to improve the reflection efficiency.
As shown in the figure, the corner cube reflector recursively reflects incident light because the cone angle is 90 degrees.

As is apparent from FIG. 5, the corner cube reflector must have an incident angle with respect to the conical surface of less than 45 °. Therefore, the corner cube reflectors may be oriented and installed in the respective optical units 402R and 402L based on the position where the corner cube reflector is arranged on the reflector 403. The reflector 403 is not limited to the corner cube reflector as long as it can recursively reflect light. Further, depending on the mode of use, a sheet-shaped tape coated with an irregular reflection material having a fine particle size may be used. This is because the diffuse reflection agent does not necessarily have a recursive reflection action, but if the particles are fine particles, the light most strongly returns in the recursive direction.

(Coordinate Input Unit 102: Structure of Light Emitting Section) Next, the light emitting section of the optical unit 402 will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the internal structure of the light emitting portion of the optical unit 402. In FIG. 6A, the light emitting portion is orthogonal to the traveling direction of the irradiation light in a plane parallel to the coordinate input surface 401. FIG. 3B is a view seen from the direction (from the y-axis direction in the figure), and FIG. 4B shows a view from the traveling direction of the irradiation light (from the x-axis direction in the figure).

The light emitting section 601 comprises a light emitting element 602 which emits irradiation light, a cylindrical lens 603a to a cylindrical lens 603c which deflects the irradiation light emitted by the light emitting element 602 in a predetermined direction, and a slit 604. The half mirror 605 is a half mirror that reflects the irradiation light passing through the slit 604 toward the reflecting section 403. By using the half mirror 605, it becomes easy to configure the light emitting unit 601 and a light receiving unit described later as one optical unit.

The light emitting element 602 is composed of, for example, a laser diode or a pinpoint LED. There is no limitation on the wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting element 602, but a wavelength near infrared is preferable. This is because in the far infrared, the optical unit tends to have heat, which causes various distortions of the lens and the like, which makes it difficult to correct the distortion.Moreover, it is difficult to handle in the ultraviolet region because of high energy. Because it will be. Further, as described above, the coordinate input surface 401 is
Since it is also a display surface (screen) for displaying the execution results of various applications processed by the computer unit 103 and the like, wavelengths other than the wavelengths used on this screen, that is, wavelengths other than the wavelengths of light used on the display surface May be used. By using different wavelengths, noise can be reduced and erroneous detection can be prevented.

The irradiation light emitted from the light emitting element 602 is narrowed down by the cylindrical lens 603a and becomes light parallel to the z axis (see FIG. 6A). Subsequently, the irradiation light passes through the two cylindrical lenses 603b and 603c, is narrowed down in the y-axis direction, and the slit 60
The light is focused at the position 4 (see FIG. 6B). That is, by using the cylindrical lenses 603a to 603c, the light emitted by the light emitting element 602 can be converged / diffused in a predetermined direction, and a combination thereof can be adjusted to a desired shape.

The slit 604 is an elongated slit parallel to the x axis, and the irradiation light passes through the slit 604 and spreads in a fan shape in the y axis direction. By passing the irradiation light through the slit 604, so-called noise such as various diffractions in the light emitting unit 601 is reduced, and the uniformity of the irradiation light is improved. In other words, it can be said that the slit 604 forms a linear light source that enhances the uniformity of irradiation light.

(Coordinate Input Unit 102: Structure of Light Receiving Unit) Next, the light receiving unit of the optical unit 402 will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the internal structure of the light receiving portion of the optical unit 402 from the direction perpendicular to the coordinate input surface 401. Here, for the sake of simplicity, detection of reflected light in a two-dimensional plane parallel to the coordinate input surface 401 will be described. The light receiving unit 701 includes a light receiving lens 702 that collects the reflected light reflected by the reflecting unit 403, and a line sensor 704 including a plurality of light receiving elements 703 that detect the light receiving intensity of a photo sensor or the like. Also, in the figure,
A light emitting element 602 and a half mirror 60 that transmits reflected light
5 is also shown respectively. The light emitting element 602 is located above the half mirror 605 (z in the coordinate system in the figure).
Since it is in the position> 0), it is displayed here as a dot.

Reflecting part 403 irradiated from light emitting element 602
The reflected light that has been reflected by, and has returned along the same path is condensed by the light receiving lens 702 and reaches different positions on the line sensor 704. Therefore, when a finger or the like is inserted at a position A on the coordinate input surface 401 to block the irradiation light, the reflected light does not reach the point on the line sensor 704 corresponding to the direction. When there is no light blocking object on the coordinate input surface 401, the received light intensity distribution on the line sensor 704 is substantially constant in the central portion symmetrical with respect to the optical axis of the light receiving lens 702. However, as shown in the figure, when a finger that blocks light is inserted at the position A on the coordinate input surface 401, the light passing therethrough is blocked, and on the line sensor 704, a region where the received light intensity is weak at the position D ( Dark spots).

This position D has a one-to-one correspondence with the angle of the interrupted light, that is, the detection angle θd measured from the optical axis of the position A. If the position D of the dark spot on the line sensor 704 is known. It is possible to know θd. When the distance from the light receiving lens 702 to the line sensor 704 is f, θd is D
Is given by equation (1) as a function of θd = arctan (D / f) (1)

Strictly speaking, tan (θd) = D / f does not hold due to the refraction of light by the light receiving lens 702, but the relationship between θd and D / f is uniquely determined, so here, for simplicity, It is treated as if equation (1) holds.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for calculating the position of the coordinate point from the direction of the coordinate point detected by the optical unit 402 and the distance between the optical units 402. As shown in the figure, w
Is a distance between the optical units 402, θcR is an angle measured from a line connecting the optical units of the coordinates A detected by the right optical unit 402R (hereinafter referred to as a calculation angle), and θcL is a left optical unit 402L. The calculated angles detected by are respectively shown. Although the detailed calculation process is omitted, the coordinate A (x, y) is given by the equation (2). x = w · tan θcR / (tan θcL + tan θcR) y = w · tan θcL · tan θcR / (tan θcL + tan θcR) (2)

Therefore, if the position of the dark spot on the line sensor 704 is known, the detected angle θd can be known, and based on the detected angle θd, the calculated angle θ corresponding to the detected angle θd.
c can be calculated, and the coordinates can be calculated by the equation (2). This calculation is performed by the device driver of the computer unit 103, as described later. In addition, the device driver also identifies a dummy point and an actual point that occur when a plurality of coordinates are input.

(PDP 101) In the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 according to this embodiment, as described above, the plasma display panel (PDP) 101 serves as a display surface for displaying various processing results by the coordinate input surface 401, the computer unit 103, and the like. Use. here,
A detailed description of the light emitting principle of the plasma display is omitted, but by using the PDP 101,
The display screen can be made larger and lighter, and the display unit can be made thinner. Moreover, since the brightness is high, it is not necessary to darken the room, and the viewing angle is wide unlike the liquid crystal display. In addition, since the moving image can be smoothly reproduced, the convenience of the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 can be improved.

It goes without saying that a liquid crystal display or a rear projector type panel can be used. As described above, since the PDP 101 is a coordinate input surface and a display screen, it is possible to intuitively operate by inputting coordinates with a human finger or the like.

(Computer Unit 103) Next, a schematic configuration of the computer unit 103 will be described. Figure 9
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the computer unit 103. The computer unit 103 is a general-purpose personal computer, and has a CPU 900 that controls the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 as a whole, a ROM 901 that stores a boot program and the like, a RAM 902 that is used as a work area of the CPU 900, characters, and numerical values. A keyboard 903 for inputting various instructions and a mouse 904 for moving a cursor and selecting a range
A hard disk 909, a graphics board 910 which is connected to the PDP 101 and controls display of an image on the PDP 101, and a display-integrated coordinate input device 1.
Network card 911 (or may be a modem) for connecting 00 to the network 107 via the computer unit 103, the scanner 105, and the printer 10.
Interface (I / F) 91 for connecting 6 etc.
2 and a bus 913 for connecting the above respective units.

In the RAM 302, a work area for coordinate calculation by a device driver described later is secured,
The history of the calculated coordinate position and the transition of the coordinate position is stored as needed. By storing the transition of the coordinate position, when a plurality of coordinates are input, the position of the input coordinate can be uniquely identified. If you store the history at any time, you will run out of space.
The position of the old coordinates is sequentially discarded.

In FIG. 9, an interface for connecting peripheral devices to the computer unit 103 is shown by one block called I / F 912 for convenience of explanation. Specifically, the I / F 912 is RS-232C or US.
It is composed of a serial interface such as B, a parallel interface, and SCSI.

Further, the hard disk 909 enables the operating system (OS) 905 and the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 to draw a diagram by finger input or the like.
An electronic blackboard software 906 that functions as an electronic blackboard, a device driver 907 that converts or emulates a two-point touch on the coordinate input unit 102 into a click operation of a mouse, and various application programs 908 such as word processor / spreadsheet software I remember. Next, the device driver 907 and the electronic blackboard software 906 will be described.

(Contents of Device Driver 907) When there are a plurality of coordinates input to the input surface 101, the device driver 907 converts the touch of the second point into an operation signal such as a mouse click operation and the like. It is a driver to emulate. In the configuration of the coordinate input unit 102 described above, a so-called dummy point occurs when a plurality of coordinates are input. Here, first, a method of discriminating between the dummy point and the actual point will be described, and then emulation of the mouse operation signal will be described.

(Device Driver 907: Regarding Discrimination between Dummy Point and Actual Point) FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining how a dummy point is generated in the case of one-point detection and multi-point detection (two-point detection). As shown in FIG. 8, a case where the second point (coordinate B) is input in the state where one point (coordinate A) is input first will be described.

When the coordinate B is input, the left and right optical units 402 (see FIG. 4) respectively detect the light shielding in two directions. Therefore, although the coordinates actually input are the coordinates A and the coordinates B, the dummy points of the coordinates C and the coordinates D are also calculated (see FIG. 10). At this time, the device driver 907 refers to the RAM 902 and, based on the already calculated position of the coordinate A (or the history of transition of the position of the coordinate A), the position of the coordinate actually input to the input surface. Uniquely identify.

Note that the optical unit 402 and the two coordinates may be aligned on the same straight line (see FIG. 11). At this time, since the number of calculated coordinates is two, the coordinates can be uniquely specified. At this time, by appropriately determining the history (trajectory) of the transition of the coordinate A, the coordinate A and the coordinate B can be determined.
It can prevent the intersection with.

(Device Driver 907: Emulating Mouse Operation Signal) By the processing described above,
Since the two-point touch is not mistaken for the four-point touch, the two-point touch can be positively used. In particular, since the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 cannot distinguish between a right button and a left button like a mouse, a mouse operation can be emulated by positively using a two-point touch.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how the mouse is operated by calculating the relative direction of the coordinates of the second point and emulating the relative direction. It should be noted that point A indicates a point input first and point B indicates a point input later. As shown, change the direction from the second point to the first point by 4
To divide. The angle measured from the Y axis of the display surface 101 is θs.

In the example of the figure, the direction division is as follows: upper touch area (315 ° ≦ θs <45 °) right touch area (45 ° ≦ θs <135 °) lower touch area (135 ° ≦ θs <225 °) The left touch area (225 ° ≦ θs <315 °) is set. As described above, since the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 can identify the two-point touch, the relative direction of the coordinates input later can be identified as follows.

When Xb> Xa and Yb <Ya: θ1 = arctan ((Ya-Yb) / (Xb-X
a)) When Xb> Xa and Yb> Ya: θ2 = arctan ((Yb−Ya) / (Xb−X)
a)) When Xb <Xa, Yb> Ya: θ3 = arctan ((Yb−Ya) / (Xa−X
b)) When Xb <Xa and Yb <Ya: θ4 = arctan ((Ya−Yb) / (Xa−X
b))

The second touch area is determined by the following. 0 ° <= θ1 <45 ° (upper touch), 45 <= θ1
<90 ° (touch on right side) 0 ° <= θ2 <45 ° (touch on right side), 45 <= θ2
<90 ° (touch on the lower side) 0 ° <= θ3 <45 ° (touch on the left side), 45 <= θ3
<90 ° (lower touch) 0 ° <= θ4 <45 ° (left touch), 45 <= θ4
<90 ° (upper touch) That is, it can be seen from this discrimination method that the input at point B corresponds to any of an upper touch, a lower touch, a right touch, and a left touch. The device driver 907 determines this direction.

When the pointing means for the input surface 101 is a finger, there are individual differences such as the size of the hand. Therefore, when allocating the mouse operation signal according to the input direction of the second point, it is necessary to determine the effective range of the two-point touch in consideration of such individual difference. Also, the input surface 10
When 1 is horizontally long and is intended for simultaneous use by a plurality of people, assigning a mouse operation signal to inputs of two points that are too far apart impairs the usability. Ie 2
When a point is input, it is possible to improve the convenience of the apparatus by identifying whether the input is made by the same person or different persons. In other words, the display-integrated coordinate input device 100
Enables a simultaneous operation by a plurality of people by limiting the range of two-point touch.

The device driver 907 processes so that the effective range of two-point touch can be set. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen configuration example for setting the effective range of two-point touch. As shown in the figure, the two-point effective range input unit 1301 (slider bar) can be set to widen or narrow the range. In addition, by displaying the input range on the test display unit 1302, it is possible to set it so as to face the display surface actually used by the operator. In addition, normally, this effective range is set to a distance that can be operated by two fingers of one hand.

[0062] Regarding the setting of the effective range determination two-point touch, the coordinate distance L between the two points, L = sqrt ((Xb- Xa) 2 + (Yb-Y
a) ^Two- point touch is valid if it is smaller than the radius coordinate of the circle calculated and set in ² ). The distance L between these two points is
It is calculated by the device driver 907.

The emulation of the actual mouse signal is assigned as follows, for example, depending on whether the second input is the upper touch area, the lower touch area, the right touch area, or the left touch area. Note that each touch area is assumed to be within the effective range described with reference to FIG.

When the second point is input to the right touch area: The mouse operation signal for turning on the right button is output. When the second point is input to the upper touch area: Middle button O
Outputs N mouse operation signal.-When the second point is input to the left touch area: Left button O
N mouse operation signal is output.-When the second point is input to the lower touch area: Double-click the left button ON Mouse operation signal is output twice in succession.-The second point was input to the right touch area. When the input of coordinates is completed: The mouse operation signal of right button OFF is output. ・ When the input of the coordinates of the second point that has been input in the upper touch area is completed: The mouse operation signal of middle button OFF is output. When the input of the second coordinate input in the area is finished: Output the mouse operation signal of left button OFF

The following can be adopted as other allocations.・ If both points are detached after the right button is turned on (coordinate input ends): Mouse operation signal for the right button is turned off ・ If both points are detached after the middle button is turned on: Middle button off the mouse Output operation signal ・ If both points are detached after the left button is ON: Output the mouse operation signal with the left button OFF

By emulating the mouse operation signal in this way, for example, the right button, the middle button, and the left button are selectively used, so that the troublesome operation of the toolbar and keyboard each time is released. Further, double-clicking with a finger input or the like tends to cause coordinate blurring and also lengthens the click interval. Therefore, it is difficult to recognize it as a double click. As described above, the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 eliminates such a problem and improves convenience by emulating a double-click with a two-point touch.

As for the control of the mouse operation signal, 2
When two coordinates are input at the same time, the mouse operation signal may not be emulated. Further, regarding the allocation of the two-point touch and the function, the operation signal of the right click, the left click, the double click, or the drag may be allocated by the two-point touch. The above allocation can be performed by the device driver 907.

(Electronic Blackboard Software 906) Next, an electronic blackboard software 906 specialized for the display-integrated coordinate input device 100.
Will be described. Here, for convenience of explanation, including the input operation and the display processing on the screen, the electronic blackboard software, the drawing and erasing of the handwritten line drawing, the drawing and erasing of the orthopedic figure by the handwriting, the drawing and erasing of the ruled line by the handwriting, Drawing and erasing of stamps by handwriting, and enlargement / reduction of display contents will be described.

1) Electronic Blackboard Software The electronic blackboard software 906 shown in FIG. 9 causes the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 to operate as an electronic blackboard. This electronic blackboard software 906 is similar to various application programs 908 such as word processor and spreadsheet software,
It is a type of application program that operates under the control of the OS 905. From the viewpoint of workability, it is preferable to set the system so that when the power switch 202 of the system shown in FIG. 1 is turned on, the electronic blackboard software 906 is activated immediately after the activation of the OS 905. However,
A desktop screen provided by the OS 905 may be displayed when the system is activated, and the electronic blackboard software 906 may be activated by selecting the icon displayed on the desktop screen.

When the electronic blackboard software 906 is activated, the electronic blackboard screen 1400 as shown in FIG. 14 is displayed on the PDP 10.
1 is displayed above. The electronic blackboard screen 1400 corresponds to the writing surface of a whiteboard, for example. PDP1 displaying this electronic blackboard screen 1400
When a user draws a character or a figure with the fingertip on the coordinate input surface 401 of the coordinate input unit 102 located in front of 01, it seems that the character or the figure is written with the pen on the whiteboard via the coordinate input unit 102 computer unit 103. Then, the characters and figures written on the coordinate input surface 401 by the user are drawn as they are on the electronic blackboard screen 1400 on the PDP 101.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the electronic blackboard software 906 displays a toolbar 1401 including a plurality of buttons for performing various operations on the electronic blackboard screen 1400. Here, the outline of the functions assigned to the respective buttons in the toolbar 1401 will be described. Depending on the mode of use, the toolbar 1401 of the electronic blackboard software 906 may be displayed in a normal desktop environment. The toolbar displayed on the electronic blackboard screen 1400 includes, in addition to the toolbar 1401, an extended toolbar (see FIG. 15) and a graphic drawing toolbar (see FIG. 1).
6) is prepared.

Computer screen button 1402: PD
The display on P101 is switched to the desktop screen or the screen of another application program. Pen button 1403: Characters and lines can be written on the PDP 101 by handwriting (use of the pen tool is designated). Eraser button 1404: It is possible to erase characters and lines written by hand. Previous page button 1405: Displays the previous page. -Page number window 1406: Present electronic whiteboard screen 1
The number of pages displayed as 400 is displayed. Next page button 1407: Displays the next page. Print button 1408: The printer 106 prints the page of the currently created file. -Thumbnail button 1409: Lists the pages that make up the currently created file. -End button 1410: Exit the electronic blackboard software 906. -Expansion button 1411: Expansion toolbar 1 shown in FIG.
Display 500. When the expansion button 1411 in the expansion toolbar 1500 is touched, the toolbar 1401 shown in FIG. 14 is restored.

The functions assigned to the respective buttons in the extended toolbar 1500 displayed when the extended button 1411 is touched will be described with reference to FIG. It should be noted that the same buttons as those in the toolbar 1401 shown in FIG.

File button 1501: You can open a new page or open a previously created file. Save button 1502: Saves the file currently created. Display button 1503: Thumbnail display, whole display and window display can be switched, and zoom (enlargement) display can be set. Graphic drawing button 1504: A graphic drawing toolbar 1600 as shown in FIG. 16 is displayed, and lines, rectangles, and ellipses can be drawn (use of the graphic drawing tool is designated). Each button in the graphic drawing toolbar 1600 will be described later. Background setting button 1505: The background color of the electronic blackboard screen 1400 displayed on the PDP 101 can be set. Option button 1506: Display of the electronic blackboard software 906 at power-on and power-off, and page insertion setting when another screen described later is captured can be set. In addition, it is possible to make settings for changing the working folder. -Help button 1507: It is possible to display a help screen that describes the operations and functions.

Further, the graphic drawing toolbar 1600 displayed when the graphic drawing button 1504 is touched.
Functions assigned to the respective buttons will be described with reference to FIG.

Selection button 1601: When editing the created figure, the figure to be edited can be selected. -Line button 1602: A straight line can be drawn. Square button 1603: A square can be drawn. Ellipse button 1604: An ellipse can be drawn. -Edit button 1605: Edit the created figure. Ruled line button 1606: A ruled line can be drawn. -Stamp button 1607: A stamp such as a circle or a fire pattern can be drawn. By using this stamp, it is possible to enhance the sense of presence in presentations and the like. Enlargement / reduction button 1608: Enlargement / reduction display of display contents is performed.

If a two-point touch is assigned as a shortcut for various processes by the electronic blackboard software 906, the convenience of the apparatus is improved. For example, the following can be given as an example of shortcut allocation.・ When the second point is input to the left touch area → The push signal of the pen button 1403 is output (note that this pen button 1
If handwriting is input by 404 and then the second point is input again in the left-side touch area, it is allotted so that the pressing signal of the eraser button 1404 is output, whereby the convenience is improved. )

When the second point is input to the left-side touch area → The pressing signal of the ruled line button 1606 is output (Note that after the ruled line is input by the ruled-line button 1606, the second point is input again to the left-side touch area. In case of eraser button 14
If the assignment is made so that the 04 pressing signal is output, the convenience is improved. It is also possible to add an attribute such as drawing a ruled line with a double line in the upper touch area and making the ruled line outer frame a thick line in the lower touch area.

When the second point is input to the left touch area → The stamp signal of the stamp button 1607 is output (note that
After drawing the stamp with this stamp button 1607,
If the second point is input again to the left-side touch area, it is allotted so that a signal for pressing the eraser button 1404 is output, which improves convenience. )

When the second point is input to the left side touch area → The pressing signal of the square button 1603 is output (after the ruled line is input by the square button 1603, the second point is input to the left side touch area again. In this case, the convenience can be improved by allocating the eraser button 1404 so as to output the depression signal.) Similarly, the elliptic button 1604 may be allocated appropriately. For such graphic drawing, a square button may be assigned to the upper touch area and an elliptical button 1604 may be assigned to the lower touch area.

When the second point is input to the left-side touch area → The pressing signal of the enlargement button 1608 is output (after the display content is enlarged by the enlargement button 1608, the second point is input again to the left-side touch area). If it is allocated so that a signal for pressing the eraser button 1404 is output, the convenience is improved.) Also, pressing the upper touch area causes enlarged display and pressing the lower touch area causes reduced display. May be assigned to.

Even if the coordinates are not input to the left side touch area again, other than the shortcut described here,
It is also possible to perform control to shift to the drawing mode before the eraser button 1404 is selected after a lapse of a fixed time or a non-input state for a fixed time. In addition, for example, when the eraser button 1404 is selected and the second point is input to the left-side touch area, the allocation to return to the drawing mode before the eraser button 1404 is selected may be performed. .

Regarding the toolbar, the user moves the toolbar to a desired place by touching a predetermined position of each toolbar shown in FIGS. 14 to 16 with a fingertip and moving (dragging) the fingertip as it is. be able to. By moving the toolbar in this way, the convenience of the large-screen display-integrated coordinate input device 100, which cannot be reached, is enhanced.

The electronic blackboard screen 140 shown in FIG.
0 is a so-called full-screen display type PDP
It is displayed on the entire display area 101. The user can switch the electronic blackboard screen 1400 to the window display by touching the display button 1503 in the extended toolbar 1500 and performing a predetermined operation.
Furthermore, since the electronic blackboard software 906 is a type of application program that runs on the OS 1505,
Toolbar 1401 (or extended toolbar 1500)
By touching the inside computer screen button 1402, the display of the PDP 101 can be easily switched from the electronic blackboard screen 1400 to a desktop screen or a display screen such as a word processor.

Regarding the operation of the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 (coordinate input to the coordinate input surface 401),
The coordinate input operation may be performed by using any device as long as it can shield light. Here, it is assumed that the input is performed with a finger, but it goes without saying that the same operation can be performed with a pen or other objects depending on the mode of use.

Next, the drawing contents when each button is pressed will be described. Here, a method of writing characters and figures by handwriting will be described. Electronic blackboard software 90
In FIG. 6, a pen tool for writing characters and figures on the electronic blackboard screen 1400 by hand by using the user's fingertip like a real pen is prepared. This pen tool
The user has toolbar 1401 (or extended toolbar 1
It can be used by touching the pen button 1403 in 500).

The user writes a character or line on the blackboard or whiteboard by hand and writes the character or line with the fingertip on the coordinate input surface 401 to display the corresponding character or line on the electronic blackboard screen 1400. be able to. With this pen tool, your fingertips look like a real pen,
It is also possible to set the color and line thickness of characters and figures that can be written with a fingertip. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing how the result of handwriting a character or a line is displayed on the electronic blackboard screen 1400 on the PDP 101. In addition,
The above-mentioned shortcut allocation can be used to call this pen tool.

When the user writes a character on the coordinate input surface 401 with the fingertip, the display-integrated coordinate input device 100 obtains the coordinate position corresponding to the trajectory of the fingertip, and the electronic blackboard software 906
The OS 1505 does not generate the drawing information corresponding to the coordinate position and writes the diagram in the video memory (not shown) of the graphics board 1510 according to the corresponding coordinate position. Graphics board 151
0 indicates that the image signal is PD according to the contents of the video memory.
The process of transmitting to P101 and displaying the same character as the character written on the coordinate input surface 401 by the user on the PDP 101 is controlled.

By touching the eraser button 1404 or by using the shortcut allocation function of the two-point touch described above, the user can
It is possible to erase by handwriting erased characters and figures written on 00. Eraser button 140
When 4 is pressed, the user's fingertip or pen can be used like a real eraser. It is also possible to set the size of the eraser, that is, the range in which characters and figures can be erased at once. 18 is shown in FIG.
8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state when the handwritten characters and lines shown in FIG. 7 are erased by an eraser 2000. FIG. Further, in this handwriting character erasing mode, it is possible to enclose a handwriting character or a line to be erased in a frame and erase the characters or line in the frame at once (enclosure).

As described above, the electronic blackboard software 906 is provided with a graphic drawing tool for drawing a graphic such as a straight line, a quadrangle, and an ellipse. This drawing tool
It can be made available via the drawing toolbar 1600 shown in FIG. The user touches the extension button 1411 of the toolbar 1401 (see FIG. 14) to display the extension toolbar 1500 (see FIG. 15), and then the graphic drawing button 150 of the extension toolbar 1500.
By touching 4, the drawing toolbar 1600 shown in FIG. 16 can be displayed on the electronic blackboard screen 1400. Here, the case of drawing a straight line and a quadrangle will be described. Further, the display of the drawing toolbar 1600 may be realized by a shortcut allocation function of two-point touch.

Drawing a Straight Line When drawing a straight line, the user touches the straight line button 1602 in the drawing toolbar 1600 with a fingertip or shifts to the straight line drawing mode by using the two-point touch shortcut allocation function described above. Next, an arbitrary place on the coordinate input surface 401, which is the start point of the straight line, may be touched with the fingertip, and the fingertip may be moved to the end point as it is, and the fingertip may be separated from the coordinate input surface 401. As a result, as shown in FIG. 19, a straight line is drawn on the electronic blackboard screen 1400.

Drawing a Rectangle When drawing a rectangle, the user draws a toolbar 1600.
The square button 1603 in the inside is touched with a fingertip, or the two-point touch shortcut allocation function described above is used to shift to the square drawing mode. Next, the coordinate input surface 40
It suffices to touch an arbitrary place of 1 with a fingertip, move the fingertip in an arbitrary direction as it is, and separate the fingertip from the coordinate input surface 401. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20, a quadrangle is drawn on the electronic blackboard screen 1400.

Similarly, the ellipse button 1604, the ruled line button 1606, the stamp button 1607, and the enlargement button 16 are used by using the shortcut allocation function of two-point touch.
You may shift to the same state as when 08 was pressed.

As described above, the display-integrated coordinate input device 10 is provided.
Since 0 allows the operator to selectively use the mouse button at a place where he / she wants to perform the operation, even if the display surface 101 is large, the user has to bother with the button operation (toolbar operation). Free from. As a result, the presentation, lecture, lecture, lecture, etc. can be tightened.

Also, this mouse emulation is an OS
Therefore, the operability of the device is further improved.
In particular, by this mouse emulation, conventionally, the operation signal to be performed next by the toolbar provided appropriately is released from the switching operation such as right click or left click, and the operability is further improved.

Further, in the past, when manually inputting a voiced sound such as "ga" or "be", ",," was sometimes mistakenly recognized as a double click, but the display-integrated coordinate input device 1 was used.
In 00, since a double click is emulated by touching two points, such a malfunction does not occur and the usability is improved.

[0097]

As described above, the display-integrated type coordinate input device of the present invention (claim 1) has an input surface for inputting coordinates by means of an indicating means which is a substitute for a mouse used in a computer. A display-integrated coordinate input device having the same or one-to-one correspondence with the display surface for displaying the processing result for the coordinates, wherein the first coordinates are input in the state where the first coordinates are input to the input surface. When the second coordinate different from the coordinate is input, the position of the second coordinate is uniquely calculated based on the first coordinate and the two coordinates on the input surface are identified. It is possible to exclude points and handle a two-point touch as an effective touch, which makes it possible to provide a highly convenient display-integrated coordinate input device.

Further, the display-integrated coordinate input device of the present invention (claim 2) displays the input surface for inputting the coordinates by the indicating means which is an alternative to the mouse used in the computer, and the processing result for the input coordinates. A display-integrated coordinate input device having the same or one-to-one correspondence with the display surface,
The coordinate input detecting means detects the input of the coordinate, the coordinate position calculating means calculates the position of the coordinate detected by the coordinate input detecting means, and the history storing means calculates the position calculated by the coordinate position calculating means. A history relating to the transition of the position of the coordinates is stored, and when the actual coordinate identifying means has a plurality of coordinate positions calculated by the coordinate position calculating means, based on the history stored by the history storing means, Since the coordinates actually input on the input surface are uniquely identified, it is possible to exclude dummy points and handle a multi-point touch as an effective touch, which makes the coordinate input with integrated display highly convenient. It becomes possible to provide a device.

The display-integrated coordinate input device of the present invention (claim 3) is the display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second coordinate direction determining means is on the input surface. With respect to the two coordinates, it is determined which one of the two coordinates, which is input later, is in the up, down, left, or right direction on the input surface with respect to the coordinate input first. With respect to the coordinates, it is possible to perform processing based on the relative direction, which makes it possible to provide a highly convenient display-integrated coordinate input device.

Further, the display-integrated coordinate input device of the present invention (claim 4) is the display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the inter-coordinate distance calculation means is provided on the input surface. When a distance between a plurality of inputted coordinates is calculated and the allocation function executing means calculates that the two coordinates are within a predetermined distance range, the two coordinates are calculated. Based on the direction of the coordinates input later from the coordinates input at the beginning, the function assigned to the coordinate position input at the beginning is executed.
When the device is used by a plurality of people at the same time, it is possible to prevent an operation not intended by the operator (in other words, it is possible for a plurality of people to use the device at the same time by limiting the range of the two-point touch). It is possible to provide a high display-integrated coordinate input device.

The display-integrated coordinate input device according to the present invention (claim 5) is the same as the display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 4, in which the function is the right click of the mouse,
Since the operation signal of left-click, double-click, or drag is transmitted, it becomes possible to realize a mouse substitute operation by two-point touch, which makes it possible to provide a highly convenient display-integrated coordinate input device. Becomes

The display-integrated coordinate input device of the present invention (claim 6) is the display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 4, wherein the function allocating means is a function executed by the allocation function executing means. Since it is possible to assign various operations in addition to the mouse operation, it is possible to provide a highly convenient display-integrated coordinate input device.

The display-integrated coordinate input device according to the present invention (claim 7) is the display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 4, in which the distance range setting means sets the predetermined distance range. The distance range can be changed so that the operator can easily use it, and thus it is possible to provide a highly convenient display-integrated coordinate input device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external configuration diagram showing an example of a display-integrated coordinate input device from the front side.

FIG. 2 is an external configuration diagram showing the display-integrated coordinate input device shown in FIG. 1 from the rear side.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing another configuration example of the display-integrated coordinate input device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a coordinate input unit.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a corner cube reflector.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an internal structure of a light emitting portion of the optical unit.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an internal structure of a light receiving section of the optical unit in a direction perpendicular to a coordinate input surface.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for calculating the position of a coordinate point from the direction of the coordinate point detected by the optical unit and the distance between the optical units.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a computer unit.

FIG. 10: Single-point detection and multi-point detection (mainly two-point detection)
It is explanatory drawing explaining the appearance of the dummy point in the case of.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where an optical unit and two coordinates are arranged on the same straight line.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how to calculate the relative direction of the coordinates of the second point and emulate what kind of operation of the mouse is emulated according to the calculated direction.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen configuration example for setting an effective range of two-point touch.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen configuration when the electronic blackboard software is activated.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an extended toolbar is displayed.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a graphic drawing toolbar is displayed.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the result of handwriting a character or a line is displayed on the electronic blackboard screen on the PDP.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a state when the handwritten characters and lines shown in FIG. 17 are erased with an eraser.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where a straight line is drawn by a straight line button.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a quadrangle drawn by a quadrangle button.

[Explanation of symbols]

100,300 Display integrated coordinate input device 101, 301 Display surface (input surface) 102, 302 Coordinate input unit 103, 303 computer unit 203 Remote receiver 401 Coordinate input surface 402 Optical unit 403 Reflector 601 light emitting part 701 light receiving part 904 mouse 906 Electronic blackboard software 907 device driver 908 Application program 909 hard disk 910 graphics board 911 network card 913 bus 1301 2-point effective range input section 1302 Test display section 1400 electronic blackboard screen 1401 Toolbar 1402 Computer screen button 1403 Pen button 1404 Eraser button 1504 Graphic drawing button 1600 drawing toolbar 1601 selection button 1602 linear button 1603 square button 1604 oval button 1606 Ruled line button 1607 stamp button 1608 enlarge button

Continued front page    F term (reference) 5B068 AA05 AA22 BB20 BC04 BD02                       BD09 BD20 BE06 CC02 CC08                       CC17 CD05                 5B087 AA10 AB14 CC03 CC11 CC26                       CC33 DD02 DD03 DD10                 5E501 AA16 AC37 BA05 CA02 CC14                       DA16 EB05 EB06 FA45 FB13                       FB34

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A display screen in which an input surface for inputting coordinates by an instruction means, which is an alternative to a mouse used for a computer, and a display surface for displaying a processing result for the input coordinates are the same or correspond one-to-one. A body type coordinate input device, wherein, in the state where the first coordinate is input to the input surface, when the second coordinate different from the first coordinate is input,
A display-integrated coordinate input device, wherein the position of the second coordinate is uniquely calculated based on the first coordinate, and two coordinates on the input surface are identified. 2. A display screen in which an input surface for inputting coordinates by an instruction means which is an alternative to a mouse used for a computer and a display surface for displaying a processing result for the input coordinates are the same or correspond one-to-one. A body-shaped coordinate input device, wherein coordinate input detection means for detecting the input of coordinates, coordinate position calculation means for calculating the position of the coordinates detected by the coordinate input detection means, and coordinate position calculation means History storage means for storing a history relating to the transition of the position of the coordinate; and when there are a plurality of coordinate positions calculated by the coordinate position calculation means, based on the history stored by the history storage means, A display-integrated coordinate input device, comprising: real coordinate identification means for uniquely identifying the coordinates actually input on the input surface. 3. With respect to the two coordinates on the input surface, the coordinate input later from the two coordinates is in any of the upper, lower, left, and right directions on the input surface with respect to the coordinate input first. The display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a second coordinate direction determining means for determining whether or not the coordinate input device is present. 4. An inter-coordinate distance calculation means for calculating a distance between a plurality of coordinates input to the input surface, and a certain two coordinates calculated by the inter-coordinate distance calculation means as being within a predetermined distance range. And an allocation function executing means for executing the function allocated to the coordinate position input first based on the direction of the coordinate input later of the two coordinates with respect to the coordinate input first. The display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising: 5. The function includes right-clicking the mouse,
5. The display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 4, wherein the coordinate input device includes a left click, a double click, and a drag operation signal. 6. The display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 4, further comprising a function allocating unit that sets a function executed by the allocating function executing unit. 7. The display-integrated coordinate input device according to claim 4, further comprising a distance range setting means for setting the predetermined distance range.