OPTICAL INPUT DEVICE

• US 20130044057A1
• Filed: 03/16/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: SAITO, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 8,711,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0423 using sweeping light beams, e.g. using rotating or vibrating mirror

Abstract

A specific information input region (B) individually specifying information to be input and an input mode switching region (C) used for changing an information input mode are placed on an information input region (A) set on a substrate. Each of these regions is displayed to be visible. An optical sensor detects a touched position on the information input region. Then, the touch operation in the input mode switching region (C) is detected according to the output of the optical sensor to selectively switch the information input mode among keyboard input, pen tablet input and mouse input. The output of the optical sensor is analyzed according to the set input mode to find out the information input by the touch operation

Claims

1. An optical input device comprising:

a substrate which defines an information input region by a touch operation;

an optical sensor which optically scans the information input region and detecting a selectively touched position on the substrate;

a region setting unit which sets, in the information input region, each of a specific information input region individually specifying information to be input and an input mode switching region used for changing an information input mode, and displays each of the regions to be visible;

an input mode switching unit which detects the touch operation in the input mode switching region according to an output of the optical sensor, and selects and sets an input mode of information through the information input region from a plurality of pre set input modes; and

an input processing unit which analyzes the output of the optical sensor according to the input mode set in the input mode switching unit to find out the information input by the touch operation in the information input region.

2. The optical input device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of input modes comprises:

a keyboard input operation in which a plurality of small regions set in the specific information input region is used as a keyboard region adapted to each of various characters/codes;

a pen tablet input operation in which the plurality of small regions set in the specific information input region is used as a pattern region adapted to each of various lines/figures; and

a mouse input operation in which the information input region is used as a coordinate plane.

3. The optical input device according to claim 1, wherein the touch operation in the information input region is done by a finger or a pen, and

the optical sensor detects a position in the information input region touched by the finger or the pen.

4. The optical input device according to claim 3, wherein the optical sensor comprises:

a linear light source placed on a side of the substrate which emits near-infrared light; and

a linear light receiving device placed, on the opposite side of the substrate, oppositely to the light source which receives the light emitted from the light source.

5. The optical input device according to claim 4, wherein the linear light sources are placed on adjacent two sides on the substrate, and

the linear light receiving devices are placed on two sides respectively opposite to the adjacent two sides on the substrate.

6. The optical input device according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is a two-dimensional sensor for imaging the information input region on the substrate.

7. The optical input device according to claim 1, wherein the region setting means draws and displays each of the specific information input region and the input mode switching region on the information input region of the substrate or on a sheet mounted on the information input region.

8. The optical input device according to claim 7, wherein the input mode switching region is divided into a plurality of small regions in accordance with the plurality of information input modes.

9. The optical input device according to claim 8, wherein the input mode switching unit determines which of the plurality of divided small regions contains the selectively touched position on the input mode switching region and determines the information input mode.

10. The optical input device according to claim 9, wherein the input processing unit specifies a small region containing a position coordinate in the specific information input region from the position coordinate detected according to the output of the optical sensor and finds out characters/codes information previously adapted and set to the small regions according to the input mode set in the input mode switching unit.

11. The optical input device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a piezoelectric device overlaid on the information input region and detecting pressure of the selective touch operation in the information input region, and

the input processing unit has a function to find out the pressure detected by the piezoelectric device as writing pressure information.