Xiroku, Inc.

Newcom, Inc.

Eit Co., Ltd.

Saeilo Japan, Inc.

Yasuji Ogawa

Jun Sakai

Azuma Murakami

Yasuhiro Fukuzaki

Kenji Tsunezaki

Kouki Shimiya

Provided is a coordinate detection device capable of detecting an indicator by either the electromagnetic induction type or the electrostatic capacitance type with a simple configuration and at low cost. The coordinate detection device comprises drive lines, detection lines, a drive circuit, a detection circuit, a drive line selection section, a detection line selection sectionand a control section. The drive line selection sectionincludes a drive line loop unitend a drive line connection unit. The detection line selection sectionincludes a detection line loop unitand a detection line connection unit. The control section controls the drive line selection sectionand the detection line selection sectionso as to put the drive lines and the detection lines into the looped state when the indicator is detected by as electromagnetic induction type, and the control section controls the drive line selection sectionand the detection line selection sectionso as to put the drive lines and the detection lines into the opened state or so as to put the drive lines into the looped state and the detection lines into the opened state when the indicator is detected by an electrostatic capacitance type.

Coordinate detection device having looped drive lines and detection lines

An inexpensively-produced operating tool to which information about the direction of the operating tool or various kinds of identification information can be provided, and in which a switch can be provided. An operating tool (), which is placed on the detection plane of a conductor detector capable of detecting a conductor by detecting a change in coupling coefficient of loop coil groups crossing each other, comprises a plurality of conductor pieces (). The conductor piece has, for example, a circular shape, a rectangular shape, or a ring shape. At least a part of the plurality of conductor pieces may be arranged in a predetermined pattern such that the conductor detector can detect the direction of the operating tool.

Operating tool with conductor pieces

A position detection apparatus, with which the setting position adjustment of imaging sections is not required and the maintenance can be made easily, structuring of which can be realized with low-cost components, is provided. In the position detection apparatus, imaging sections (), each of those which includes an area image sensor (), in which light-sensitive elements are arrayed in a two-dimensional pattern, and an image formation lens (), are placed to the lateral two points of a detection plane (), respectively. A selection device () selects particular pixels corresponding to a particular field of view of a reflex reflection frame () or the like from the light-sensitive elements within a range of a given field of view having been imaged by the imaging sections (). An image processing device () image-processes a particular image signal corresponding to the selected particular pixels and then outputs an indicating position coordinate of a pointing device ().

Position detection apparatus using area image sensor

Provided is an object detecting device, which can detect the shape of or the distance from an object made of an electrically conductive or magnetic material, and which can detect the position indicated by an object made of an electrically-non-conductive/non-magnetic material, such as a finger. The object detecting device detects the shape of or the distance from an object to be measured, which is placed on a detection surface and made of an electrically conductive or magnetic material, by using an electromagnetic induction. The object detecting device includes a first loop wire group of a plurality of first loop wires () arranged in parallel on the same plane, a second loop wire group of a plurality of second loop wires () arranged in parallel on the same plane, and a spacer () for keeping the distance between them at a constant. The plurality of the second loop wires () are individually arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of the first loop wires (). The object detecting device further includes a plurality of electromagnetic coupling portions for electromagnetically coupling the first loop wires and the second loop wires. A driver () drives the first loop wire group, and a detector () detects the change in the couplings of the electromagnetically coupling units from the second loop wire group.

Object detecting device for detecting object using electromagnetic induction

A pressure distribution sensor utilizing electromagnetic coupling in which alignment of electromagnetically coupled coils is facilitated, and a force in a slip direction can be detected. The pressure distribution sensor utilizing electromagnetic coupling has a detection surface comprises a plurality of first loop wires () arranged in parallel on the same plane, a plurality of second loop wires () arranged in parallel on the same plane in the direction perpendicular to the first loop wires (), and a plurality of third loop wires () arranged in parallel on the same plane as the first loop wires. The third loop wires () are formed to be connectable to a drive section () in a separated manner from the first loop wires. The drive section () connected to the first loop wires drives the first loop wires, and a detecting section () connected to the second loop wires detects pressure from detection signals based on electromagnetic coupling at the electromagnetic coupling portions from the second loop wires.

Pressure distribution sensor utilizing electromagnetic coupling

A pressure distribution detector is less influence by installation environment, that is, a pressure distribution detector that detection sensitivity or detection accuracy is less adversely affected even if the device is fitted not only to a flat surface but also a surface having an arbitrary shape such as a curved surface. The pressure distribution detector comprises a plurality of drive coils () provided on a substrate, a plurality of detection coils () electromagnetically coupled with the plurality of drive coils in pairs respectively, and a spacer () for keeping a constant distance between the plurality of drive coils and the plurality of detection coils, respectively. In order to vary the degree of electromagnetic coupling between the drive coil and the detection coil, a variable electromagnetic coupling () formed of a conductor or a magnetic body is provided movably adjacent to the drive coil and/or the detection coil. The drive coil is driven through a drive circuit and a change in the degree of electromagnetic coupling between the drive coil and the detection coil is detected by a detection circuit from the detection coil.

Pressure distribution detector utilizing electromagnetic coupling

The object of the present invention is to provide a pressure detecting apparatus that is less affected from noises and can be constructed in a large size. The pressure detecting apparatus according to the present invention utilizes electromagnetic coupling. The sensor section comprises first coils, second coilsprovided on the first coils such that they are superimposed to each other, and a first cushion memberprovided between the first coils and the second coils. A drive circuit for driving either of the first coils and the second coils and a detection circuit for detecting pressure applied against the sensor section on the basis of signals resulting from electromagnetic coupling from the other of the first coils and the second coils are connected to the sensor section. The sensor sections are disposed in a matrix state so that measurements of pressure distribution can be effected.

Pressure detecting apparatus utilizing electromagnetic coupling

There is provided such a pressure distribution detection device that noise affect is small even when the detection region is increased and no line break occurs even when the device is used for a long period of time. The pressure distribution device detects distribution of the pressure applied. The device includes a first loop electrode line group (), a second loop electrode line group () arranged on the first loop electrode line group (), an elastic body () arranged on the second loop electrode line group (), and a conductive material () arranged on the elastic body (). The first loop electrode lines () are arranged in parallel to one another inside a first surface. The second loop electrode line () are arranged in parallel to one another within a second surface parallel to the first surface and fixed at a predetermined distance from the first surface. The second loop electrode lines () orthogonally intersect the first loop electrode line (). The conductive material () is movably arranged via the elastic body () on the intersection between the first loop electrode line () and the second loop electrode line (). The first loop electrode lines () are driven by a drive circuit and a detection circuit detects a signal electromagnetically coupled from the second loop electrode lines ().

Pressure distribution detection device

A virtual-space shift control apparatus includes a detecting element that detects a touch operation or a drag operation of a pointing device having a plurality of pointing elements, performed on a display screen and a viewpoint-position information generator that generates viewpoint position information of a virtual space image based on the detected touch or drag operation of the detecting element. A three-dimensional image generator is provided that generates data on the virtual space image seen from a viewpoint indicated by the viewpoint position information and outputting a three dimensional image to the display.

Apparatus for controlling the shift of virtual space and method and program for controlling same

A coordinate input device includes a pair of cameras positioned in an upper left position and an upper right position of a display screen of a monitor lying close to a plane extending from the display screen of the monitor and views both a side face of an object in contact with a position on the display screen and a predetermined desk-top coordinate detection area to capture the image of the object with the field of view. The coordinate input device also included a control circuit which calculates the coordinate value of a pointing tool, pointing to a position within a coordinate detection field, based on video signals output from the pair of cameras, and transfers the coordinate value to a program of a computer.

Coordinate input device working with at least display screen and desk-top surface as the pointing areas thereof

A coordinate input device includes a pair of cameras positioned in an upper left position and an upper right position of a display screen of a monitor lying close to a plane extending from the display screen of the monitor and views both a side face of an object in contact with a position on the display screen and a predetermined desk-top coordinate detection area to capture the image of the object within the field of view. The coordinate input device also includes a control circuit which calculates the coordinate value of a pointing tool, pointing to a position within a coordinate detection field, based on video signals output from the pair of cameras, and transfers the coordinate value to a program of a computer.

The present invention relates to a handwriting communication system, a handwriting input device and a handwriting display device used in the system, which can communicate by handwriting among a plurality of computers connected via a network. The communication system includes a handwriting input device which is provided at a transmitting side for inputting the handwriting into a transmitting side computer, and a handwriting display device which is provided at a receiving side for displaying the handwriting based on information transmitted from the transmitting side to a receiving side computer. The present system according to the invention transmits only a contiguous image around the handwritten portion, which reduces the communication volume compared to transmitting the whole image, and which makes the real time transmission and reception of handwriting trace possible.

Handwriting communication system and handwriting input device used therein

An optical digitizer which has a function to recognize kinds of pointing instruments, allowing an input by a finger or by a pen, is provided. The optical digitizer includes: a light source to emit a light ray; an image taking device which is arranged in a periphery of a coordinate plane, and which converts an image of the pointing instrument into an electrical signal after taking an image of the pointing instrument by using the light ray of the light source; a computing device to compute the pointing position coordinates after processing the converted electrical signal by the image taking device; a polarizing device to polarize the light ray emitted by the light source into a first polarized light ray or a second polarized light ray; a switching device to switch the irradiating light on the coordinate plane to the first polarized light or the second polarized light; a retroreflective material with retroreflective characteristics, which is installed at a frame of the coordinate plane; a polarizing film with a transmitting axis which causes the first polarized light ray to be transmitted; and a judging device to judge the pointing instrument as the first pointing instrument when the image of the pointing instrument is taken by the first polarized light ray, and to judge the pointing instrument as the second pointing instrument when the image of the pointing instrument is taken by the second polarized light ray.

Optical digitizer with function to recognize kinds of pointing instruments

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.

Growing community of inventors

Tsukuba, Japan

Yasuji Ogawa