POSITION DETECTION APPARATUS, SENSOR, AND POSITION DETECTION METHOD

• US 20110069034A1
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Kawamata, Naoko, Miyazawa, Yukio, Munakata, Hiroshi, Yokota, Masaru
• Application Number:
  US12/870,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20110069034A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A position detection apparatus including: a sensor including a plurality of first conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in a first direction, a plurality of second conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in a second direction, and a plurality of third conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in a third direction. The first to third conductors are disposed such that a plane defined by the first conductors, another plane defined by the second conductors, and a further plane defined by the third conductors are placed in a superposed relationship with each other. The apparatus further includes a signal processing circuit configured to supply a signal to the sensor and detect a pointed position by a pointer on the sensor based on a signal obtained from the sensor in response to the signal supplied thereto; the signal processing circuit identifying a position actually pointed to by the pointer.

Claims

1. A position detection apparatus, comprising:

a sensor including a plurality of first conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in a first direction, a plurality of second conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in a second direction, and a plurality of third conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in a third direction, said first to third conductors being disposed such that a plane defined by said first conductors, another plane defined by said second conductors, and a further plane defined by said third conductors are placed in a superposed relationship with each other; and

a signal processing circuit configured to supply a signal to said sensor and detect a position pointed to by a pointer on said sensor based on a signal obtained from said sensor in response to the signal supplied thereto;

said signal processing circuit identifying a position actually pointed to by the pointer based on a signal detected through said third conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in the third direction when a plurality of signals originating from pointing by the pointer are detected through said first conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in the first direction and said second conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in the second direction.

2. The position detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second direction has an orthogonal relationship to the first direction.

3. The position detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the third direction has an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the first direction.

4. The position detection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, in said sensor configured to detect a position pointed to by the pointer, said third conductors are disposed most proximate to one face on which a position is pointed to by the pointer.

5. A method of detecting a position pointed to by a pointer using a sensor for detecting a position pointed to by the pointer, the sensor including a plurality of first conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in a first direction, a plurality of second conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in a second direction, and a plurality of third conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in a third direction, the first to third conductors being disposed in different directions from each other and a plane defined by the first conductors, another plane defined by the second conductors, and a further plane defined by the third conductors being placed in a superposed relationship with each other, the pointed position detection method comprising the steps of:

supplying a predetermined signal to the first to third conductors;

determining whether or not a plurality of signals corresponding to pointing by the pointer are detected from the first conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in the first direction and the second conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in the second direction in response to the supplied signal; and

identifying a position actually pointed to by the pointer based on a signal from the third conductors juxtaposed in parallel to each other in the third direction when a plurality of signals are detected in response to the pointing by the pointer.