Wacom Co., Ltd.

Kabushikikaisha Wacom

Nkk Corporation

Saeilo Japan, Inc.

Yasuhiro Fukuzaki

Yuji Katsurahira

Azuma Murakami

Yasuji Ogawa

Norio Akamatsu

Ryuichi Yamane

Sadao Yamamoto

A digitizer for determining coordinate value of a point designated on a given two-dimensional coordinate plane. A pointing instrument is manually operable to designate a point on the given two-dimensional coordinate plane of a tablet. The tablet includes a flat sensor defining the given two-dimensional coordinate plane and operative for transmitting magnetic signal between the flat sensor and the pointing instrument disposed thereon to detect the designated point to thereby produce a detection signal, and a shielding plate disposed under the flat sensor to magnetically shield the flat sensor. The shielding plate is composed of silicon steel containing 4.0 to 7.0 weight % of silicon. A processing circuit is connected to the flat sensor for processing the detection signal to determine the coordinate value of the designated point.

Digitizer having flat tablet with magnetic shield plate

An object detecting optical unit for detecting a direction or a position of an object placed on a detecting plane surface is disclosed. The optical unit detects existence or non existence of a retroreflective light reflected by a retroreflective member. A light projection device is formed by a plurality of light sources and corresponding lenses, arranged in to form a fan shaped projection pattern parallel to the detecting plane surface, the projection pattern being as if projected from a virtual one point light source. A light receiving device is included which has a slit or lens and linear photoreceptive group, arranged in such a manner as to form a light receiving pattern with a view field corresponding to the fan shaped projection pattern. A position coordinate input apparatus using the optical unit is also disclosed.

Optical unit for detecting object and coordinate input apparatus using same

The present invention increases the information-setting capability of an electronic pen by using exchangeable cartridges, each cartridge having a pre-installed information setting. The wiring of each cartridge is differentiated to designate information such as, for example, color or line width. The cartridge attributes may specify the stored information such as, for example, color. A cartridge may include a password or other specific ID of an individual. Both mechanical contact points and non-mechanical contact points can be used to actualize a cartridge. In addition, a rechargeable battery can be placed inside a cartridge, and the battery may be recharged using a battery recharging device. Information may be written and rewritten to a memory storage device inside a cartridge by connecting the cartridge to a separate writing device.

Cordless electronic pen with cartridge

A position detecting system capable of making communications with a plurality of pointing devices without changing resonance circuits of said pointing devices, and a pointing device suitable for the position detecting system. The position detecting system detects positions of at least two cordless pointing devices on a two-dimensional plane and is equipped with a command electromagnetic wave transmitting circuit to transmit a command to the pointing device. Included in the position detecting system are a first group of antennae X1 to X11 arranged successively in one of the directions orthogonal to each other within the two-dimensional plane 11, a second group of antennae Y1 to Y8 arranged successively in the other direction orthogonal to the one direction within the two-dimensional plane 11, a selection circuit for, from the first and second antenna groups, selecting an antenna which is more strongly coupled to the pointing device to be measured than to the other pointing device in transmitting an electromagnetic wave, and a transmission circuit for transmitting an electromagnetic wave from the selected antenna to the pointing device to be measured.

Position detecting apparatus and pointing device thereof

An electronic document security system, a fixed electronic seal security system, and an electronic signature security system. A method for security coding a document uses a symbolic figure such as a signature or a seal. An electronic document including a symbolic figure is stored. The electronic document is encoded in accordance with a confidential key and a predetermined characteristic is extracted from the encoded electronic document. The symbolic figure is then modified in accordance with the characteristic. The confidential key and the symbolic figure may be stored in a portable media to increase the security.

Electronic document security system, affixed electronic seal security

A position transducer and a position sensing method which permit the sensing of a coordinate of a plurality of position indicators without changing resonance frequencies of the plurality of position indicators. The position transducer is made up of a first group of antennas arranged one after the other in one of two directions which cross each other at right angles within a two-dimensional plane; a second group of antennas arranged one after the other in the other direction which is at right angles to the one direction within the two-dimensional plane. The method includes selecting an antenna capable of transmitting a more intensive electromagnetic wave to a position indicator to be measured compared with an electromagnetic wave sent to the other position indicator(s); transmitting an electromagnetic wave to the position indicator to be measured from the selected antenna; and receiving a response electromagnetic wave while scanning the antennas by switching the first and second groups of antennas one after the other.

Position transducer and position sensing method

Plural position pointing devices are used with software which is not designed for plural position pointing devices. A coordinate input system works with a coordinate detecting device having a multi-device function, which enables the device to detect the coordinate value of and switch information on each of a plural position pointing devices even when they are present on a single coordinate detecting surface at the same time. A tablet driver receives the information sent from the coordinate detecting device to a computer and hands it over to an application program. Determinations are made as to whether the switch information on the plural position pointing devices indicates ON. If all the switch information indicates OFF, all the information on the plural position pointing devices is mixed and handed over to the application program. If any of the switch information indicates ON, the information on only the position pointing device having ON switch information is handed over to the application program.

Data matching method, coordinate input method, and coordinate input

A method for displaying a display object on a display screen, which method permits efficient simultaneous input operation by allowing a display object to be shown on a display screen without producing an area wherein an electronic pen is disabled when simultaneous input is performed with the electronic pen held in a dominant hand and an electronic cursor held in the other hand. The electronic pen is operated by the operator's dominant hand and the electronic cursor by the other hand on an input table of a coordinate input device. A pointer indicating the position specified by the electronic pen, a pointer indicating the position specified by the electronic cursor, and display objects associated with the electronic cursor are displayed on the display screen. The display objects on the display screen are shown at the location of the other hand, i.e., the non-dominant hand, so that the electronic cursor does not interfere with the movement of the electronic pen when the operator moves the electronic pen to work on the display objects on the input table.

Two-handed method of displaying information on a computer display

A position pointing pen to be used with a position detecting tablet having multiple sequentially activated coils includes a resonance circuit. In response to the resonance circuit receiving from the tablet a wave having greater than a predetermined amplitude, a sequence of twelve different time slots is established during which loading of the resonance circuit is controlled. During eight of the time slots, the resonance circuit is loaded with pen coordinate information obtained from the tablet coils. During a synchronizing time slot the resonance circuit is loaded by a fixed resistor. During the other three time slots the resonance circuit is loaded with other information, e.g. pen pressure, pen up/down, and color. When a coil of the tablet receives two substantially identical wave sequences from the pen the synchronizing containing slot is extracted and a CPU determines pen position and the other information.

Position detecting device and position pointing device therefor

A position detecting device and a position pointing device thereof, which are capable of transmitting much information at high speed without lowering the sampling rate of coordinate detection. The position pointing device controls the resonance characteristic of a resonance circuit to one of at least four different resonance characteristics in accordance with at least two bits of binary code out of a plurality of bits of binary code, which represent pointing device information, at a preselected timing. A tablet detects the resonance characteristic of the resonance circuit by resonance characteristic detecting means from an electric wave generated from the resonance circuit at the preselected timing and converts it into at least two corresponding bits of binary code, thus enabling the transmission of information of two bits or more at a time.

A computer system which allows a particular position pointing device to be used only with a particular software program. The computer system is provided with an identifying information generating means which issues identifying information telling a particular position pointing device that it is a position pointing device matched to a particular software program, a software recognizing means for recognizing the particular software program in accordance with the identifying information, a software initiating means for initiating the particular software program, and a software selecting means for selectively supplying various types of information, which is issued from the position detecting device main unit when the particular position pointing device is operated, only to the particular software program, thus allowing the particular position pointing device to be used only with the particular software program.

Computer system

A computer system including a multi-device input system has a screen operation mode and a menu display item selection mode, to eliminate mode switching and achieve better operability. The computer system has: a display unit; a computer incorporating a regular processor and a menu selector; and a coordinate detector having a coordinate detection area superimposed with a menu display. The coordinate detector simultaneously detects coordinate information of two position pointing devices and supplies the coordinate information to the computer; a first position pointing device is exclusively used for selecting menu items from the menu display. A device for identifying position pointing devices detects the type of position pointing device being used on the coordinate detector. In response to the identifying device determining that the first position pointing device is used, the coordinate information about the first device is supplied to the menu selector and a symbol corresponding to the selected menu item is displayed. In response to the identifying device determining that a second position pointing device is being used, coordinate information about the second device is supplied to the regular processor so movement of the second device results in lines being drawn on the display.

Computer system having multi-device input system

A position detecting device and a position pointing device therefor transmit information concerning the position pointing device or an operator from a cordless position pointing device to a tablet. An AC field containing information about the position pointing device or the operator and a write instruction is transmitted to the position pointing device by an instruction source of the tablet. The information is stored in a memory of the position pointing device by an instruction extractor responsive to a controller of the position pointing device. The stored information is read out to a characteristic controller in response to an AC field containing a read instruction received by the device from the tablet.

Position pointing device including a memory and a position detecting

A position pointing device for use with a digitizing tablet sequentially transmits plural different kinds of non-positional information to the tablet. The position pointing device varies a resonance characteristic of a resonance circuit in accordance with plural kinds of amount information, during each of plural sequential time slots. A tablet detects a resonance characteristic of the resonance circuit. The frequency and/or amplitude of the AC field coupled from the resonance circuit to the tablet are varied. The frequency variation is sufficiently small that it can be detected with a synchronous detector driven by a single frequency.

Position pointing device having resonant circuit with sequentially

A position indicator having an oscillation circuit consisting of a first coil for detecting coordinates and a condenser, wherein a control coil and the first coil are placed side by side in such a manner that an induced current running through the first coil surrounds a part of a magnetic flux generated at the first coil and the control coil is controlled to be opened/closed and a distribution of a magnetic flux passing the first coil is varied, which enables an angle of rotation and angle of inclination for the position indicator to be detected.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama-Ken, Japan

Yasuhiro Fukuzaki