Pentel Kabushiki Kaisha

Kiyomi Abe

Genichi Tagata

Hiromichi Takahashi

Mitsuo Kazama

Tadaaki Sugino

Hidetoshi Kameda

Hiroshi Kobayashi

Yoshiharu Yamashiro

Yoshio Shishido

Koich Tanaka

A data tablet has an electrode matrix that includes two sets of electrodes, the sets of electrodes being arranged along coordinate axes on opposite sides of an intermediate insulating layer in such a way that the electrodes in one set are orthogonal to the electrodes in the other set. The electrodes of each of said sets constituting a first group and a second group, the electrodes in said first group being connected respectively to leading lines arranged in the same plane as of said electrodes in said first group, and the electrodes in said second group being connected via through-holes formed in said intermediate insulating layer respectively to other leader lines arranged in the same plane as of said electrodes of the other set. The data tablet can be produced by forming a first circuit pattern on a substrate of an electrical insulating material by printing, then printing an insulating pattern on the substrate thereby forming the intermediate insulating layer overlaid on the first circuit pattern, and printing a second circuit pattern on the intermediate insulating layer. When the second circuit pattern is printed, the parts of said pattern on the apertures in the intermediate insulating layer overlie the first circuit pattern under the intermediate insulating layer.

Position determination device

Disclosed is a pattern input apparatus in which an input pen is made to be in contact with a tablet having a matrix composed of sets of conductors disposed at intervals along coordinate axes, thereby applying hand writing information to an electronic computer, or the like. In this pattern input apparatus, the input pen is made to be contact with or moved on the upper surface of the tablet to thereby obtain detection signals, the respective potential levels of at least three higher ones of the obtained detection signals being selected out, the detection signal having the highest potential level among the three selected out detection signals being regarded as a reference signal, subtraction being made between the reference signal and each of the remainder ones of the three selected out detection signals to obtain two potential differences, thereby determining the position of the pen on the basis of the ration between the two potential differences.

Pattern input apparatus

A tablet input apparatus having a tablet formed with a segment including at least one lattice point on a matrix comprising a group of conductors arranged in spaced relation along coordinate axes, wherein an input pen is placed in contact with a desired segment to thereby output said segment as a coordinate data. In the tablet input apparatus, when a scanning pulse supplied to adjacent at least two conductors is detected by one-time contacting operation of the input pen, the coordinate data is discriminated by either scanning pulse or no discriminating operation is made therefor but processing is made to provide a non-detection zone.

Tablet input apparatus

A capacitively coupled tablet for use with a probe comprises two sets of conductors spaced apart along coordinate axes to form a matrix, and an overlay disposed above the conductors and forming a plurality of key segments associated with the individual points of intersection of the matrix. A plurality of isolated electrode plates are disposed between the sets of conductors and the overlay at positions corresponding to each of the key segments, the electrode plates each being formed of a conductive material and having a size commensurate with the key segment. When a probe is applied against a particular key segment from over the overlay, the probe is capacitively coupled with selected conductors of the respective sets through the electrode plates.

Capacitively coupled tablet

A keyboard apparatus includes a pair of juxtaposed tablets against which a single probe or signal pen may be applied through an overlay or overlays. Each tablet has a multiplicity of key segments defined on its surface at specified coordinates. Each segment is operable as a key as the probe is applied against a particular overlay which assumes an open position over a selected one of the tablets. A plurality of overlays are bound in a binder or fastener in the form of a book so that any overlay can assume an open position on either tablet. Each overlay has indicium segments on its surface which coorespond to the key segments and on which indicia such as letters or characters designating the key segments may be entered. When a particular overlay assumes an open position on one of the tablets, a probe may be applied against a desired indicium segment thereof, whereupon the probe senses a signal from the corresponding key segment. Means is provided for sensing which one of the overlays assumes an open position on the associated tablet and for producing a detection signal. A sensed key signal and the detection signal are combined to provide a digital signal which identifies the desired indicium segment on the particular overlay.

Keyboard apparatus

A response analyzing device comprises a discriminating device and a plurality of answering devices connected in parallel to a plurality of lines extending from the discriminating device. Each of the answering devices are provided with resonance circuits having mutually different resonance frequencies and a selective switch for connecting the resonance circuits with these lines. The discriminating device is provided with a sweep oscillator for impressing outputs to these lines and has a variable range which permits the sweeping of the entire range of the resonance frequencies and circuitry for detecting the variation in impedance due to the resonance phenomenon created in the resonance circuit.

Response analyzing device

A capacitively coupled tablet for use with an electrically conductive pen comprises segments each including at least one lattice point of a matrix which comprises groups of spaced conductors which are disposed along coordinate axes. The segments are mutually electrically isolated by an electrically conductive shield layer having apertures which correspond to the surface area of the respective segments, and are marked with corresponding characters to serve as keys. An electrically insulating layer is disposed between the shield layer and the groups of conductors, and a similar surface layer is disposed on the shield layer.

Tablet for use in a coordinate digitizer

A response analyzer simultaneously receives multi-frequency signals transmitted from a plurality of answering devices and forms time divided pulses, which are counted to provide an indication of the number of answering devices which made responses. A plurality of AND gates are each associated with one of the multi-frequency signals, and operate to sample the time divided pulses in order to determine which of the answering devices made responses. Formation of time divided pulses from the simultaneously received multi-frequency signals takes place through mixing the respective multi-frequency signals with a local oscillator signal having a frequency which is continuously and periodically varied, to thereby convert the signals into their intermediate frequency versions, from which a fixed frequency component is extracted.

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Soka, Japan

Kiyomi Abe