Information input device

• US 10,409,415 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Sakabe, Takuji, Ishiyama, Tetsuya, Imamura, Yusuke, Suzuki, Yuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, William
• Application Number:
  US15/643,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20170308230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B43K 29/08 with measuring, computing or indicating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

An information input device has a determination portion, a detection portion, and a switching portion. The detection portion includes two areas that plural coils are arranged along a plane. The two areas switch between a folded state facing the areas each other and a two-page spread state not facing the areas each other. When an induced current is not detected in the coils of the two areas in the continuous reception state in which the induced current of the coils can be detected, the determination portion determines that the detection portion is in the two-page spread state. When the induced current is detected in the coils of the two areas in the continuous reception state, the determination portion determines that the detection portion is in the folded state, and the switching portion switches the state of the detection portion from a normal state to a power saving state.

Claims

1. An information input device comprising:

a stylus;

a detection portion having two areas in which a plurality of coils are arranged along a plane, the two areas being capable of switching between a folded state in which the areas face each other and a two-page spread state in which the areas do not face each other, and the detection portion having a normal state and a power saving state in which current consumption is less than that in the normal state, the coils further being configured to detect a position of the stylus via induced current flowing through the coils;

a determination portion configured to;

in a case where the detection portion alternately switches between a first state and a second state in the normal state, the first state being a state in which one of the two areas is in a transmission/reception state and, at the same time, the other of the two areas is in a continuous reception state, the second state being a state in which the one of the two areas is in the continuous reception state and, at the same time, the other of the two areas is in the transmission/reception state, the transmission/reception state being a state in which a transmission state, in which a current is applied to the plurality of coils, and a reception state, in which an induced current of the plurality of coils is able to be detected, are alternately switched, and the continuous reception state being a state in which the reception state, in which the induced current of the plurality of coils is able to be detected, is maintained,

determine that the detection portion is in the two-page spread state when the induced current is not detected in any of the plurality of coils of the either of the two areas that is in the continuous reception state, and

determine that the detection portion is in the folded state when the induced current is detected in any of the plurality of coils of the either of the two areas that is in the continuous reception state; and

a switching portion configured to switch the state of the detection portion from the normal state to the power saving state when the determination portion determines that the detection portion is in the folded state, the switching portion including a first switching portion configured to switch the state of the detection portion to a first power saving state, in which current is applied to only a proper subset of the plurality of coils disposed in only the one of the two areas that is separated from the other of the two areas in the two-page spread state when it is determined that the detection portion is in the folded state.

2. The information input device according to claim 1, wherein

in the first power saving state, the current is intermittently applied to only the proper subset of the plurality of coils.

3. The information input device according to claim 1, wherein

the switching portion includes a second switching portion, the second switching portion switching the state of the detection portion to a second power saving state in which application of a current to the plurality of coils of each of the two areas is stopped.

4. The information input device according to claim 1, wherein

the switching portion maintains the first power saving state when an elapsed time from when the determination portion determines that the detection portion is in the folded state is less than a predetermined time period.

5. The information input device according to claim 3, wherein

the second switching portion switches the state of the detection portion to the second power saving state when an elapsed time from when the determination portion determines that the detection portion is in the folded state is equal to or more than a predetermined time period.

6. The information input device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a control portion configured to perform control such that the detection portion switches between the first state and the second state,

wherein

the second switching portion switches the state of the detection portion to the second power saving state by turning off power supplied to the control portion.

7. An information input device comprising:

a detection portion having two areas in which a plurality of coils are arranged along a plane, the two areas being capable of switching between a folded state in which the areas face each other and a two-page spread state in which the areas do not face each other, and the detection portion having a normal state and a power saving state in which current consumption is less than that in the normal state, the coils further being configured to detect a position of a stylus via induced current flowing through the coils;

a processor; and

a memory storing computer-readable instructions, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed, cause the processor to perform processes comprising;

determining;

in a case where the detection portion alternately switches between a first state and a second state in the normal state, the first state being a state in which one of the two areas is in a transmission/reception state and, at the same time, the other of the two areas is in a continuous reception state, the second state being a state in which the one of the two areas is in the continuous reception state and, at the same time, the other of the two areas is in the transmission/reception state, the transmission/reception state being a state in which a transmission state, in which a current is applied to the plurality of coils, and a reception state, in which an induced current of the plurality of coils is able to be detected, are alternately switched, and the continuous reception state being a state in which the reception state, in which the induced current of the plurality of coils is able to be detected, is maintained,

that the detection portion is in the two-page spread state when the induced current is not detected in any of the plurality of coils of the either of the two areas that is in the continuous reception state, and

that the detection portion is in the folded state when the induced current is detected in any of the plurality of coils of the either of the two areas that is in the continuous reception state; and

switching the state of the detection portion from the normal state to the power saving state when it is determined that the detection portion is in the folded state, wherein switching the state of the detection portion to the power saving state includes applying current to only a proper subset of the plurality of coils disposed in only the one of the two areas that is separated from the other of the two areas in the two-page spread state when it is determined that the detection portion is in the folded state.