Input/output apparatus and method therefor

• US 5,059,749 A
• Filed: 03/22/1990
• Issued: 10/22/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Motoo Furuta President Wacom Company Limited, Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Akio, Murakami, Azuma, Chikami, Toshihide
• Primary Examiner(s): Schreyer, Stafford D.
• Application Number:
  US07/497,332
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18, 178/19, 340/713
• US Class Current: 347/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

An input/output apparatus includes a coordinate input device and a display device which are stacked on each other. The coordinate input device detects position coordinates of an input designating device by (a) intermittently transmitting radio waves from a tablet to excite a tuned circuit incorporated in the input designating device and (b) receiving radio waves generated by the tuned circuit while transmission of radio waves by the tablet is suspended. The times while the display data latch pulses are generated in the display device is synchronized with the transmission of radio waves from the tablet in the coordinate input device. In consequence, noise is not generated in synchronism with the generation of the display data latch pulses while the tablet receives the radio waves, so noise is not imposed on a signal received by the tablet. As a result, there is no reduction in the accuracy with which position is detected on the basis of the received radio waves and malfunction of the apparatus is substantially eliminated.

Claims

1. An input/output apparatus comprising:

a coordinate input device wherein radio waves are intermittently transmitted from a tablet, said radio waves excite a tuned circuit incorporated in an input designating device, said tablet suspending transmission of said radio waves and receiving radio waves transmitted by said tuning circuit and thereby the coordinates of a position designated with said input designating device are detected;

a display device,

characterized in that the times while display data latch pulses are generated in said display device is synchronized with the transmission period of said radio waves from said tablet.

2. An input/output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said coordinate inpur device and said display device are stacked on each other.

3. An input/output apparatus aocording to claim 1 wherein said coordinate input device and said display device are housed in a non-metal casing as one unit.

4. An input/output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display device includes a liquid crystal display panel.

5. An input/output apparatus acoording to claim 4, wherein an input area of said tablet and a display area of said liquid crystal display panel are substantially equal.

6. An input/output apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said liquid crystal display panel is placed on top of said tablet in such a manner that display positions thereof can correspond with input positions thereof, through a reflecting plate having radio-wave-transmissible property or a backlighting source being interposed therebetween.

7. An input/output method employing a coordinate input designating device, a tablet and a display device in superposed relation to the tablet, including the steps of:

intermittently transmitting radio waves from the tablet;

exciting a tuned circuit incorporated in said coordinate input designating device by said radio waves;

receiving radio waves generated by said coordinate input designating device while transmission of said radio waves by the tablet is suspended;

detecting the coordinates of a position designated by said coordinate input designating device, to display them on said display device,

characterized in that the times while display data latch pulses are generated in said display device is synchronized with the transmission of radio waves from said table to said coordinate input designating device.

8. Apparatus for determining the position of an implement including a tuned circuit having a predetermined resonant frequency comprising a tablet including a two dimensional array of coils for coupling energy at the resonant frequency to the implement and for receiving energy at ther esonant frequency from the tuned circuit while the implement is in proximity to the tablet,

a display device for the position of the implement relative to the tablet responsive to display data latch pulses, and

means intermittently energizing coils of the array for intermittently coupling the energy at the resonant frequency from the tablet to the implement, the energy being intermittently coupled in synchronism with coupling of the display data latch pulses to the display device so the data latch pulses are derived only at times energy at the resonant frequency is coupled from coils of the array to the implement.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the tablet and display are in close proximity so that there is a tendency for energy of the data latch pulses to be coupled as noise to coils of the tablet.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the tablet and display are in superposed relation with each other.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further including a non-magnetic housing in which the tablet and display are located.

12. In combination, an implement including a tuned circuit having a predetermined resonant frequency, a tablet including a two dimensional array of coils for coupling energy at the resonant frequency to the implement and for receiving energy at the resonant frequency from the tuned circuit while the implement is in proximity to the tablet,

a display device for the position of the implement relative to the table responsive to display data latch pulses, and

means intermittently energizing coils of the array for intermittently coupling the energy at the resonant frequency from the table to the implement, the energy being intermittently coupled in synchronism with coupling of the display data latch pulses to the display device so the data latch pulses are derived only at times energy at the resonant frequency is coupled from coils of the array to the implement.

13. The combination of claim 12 further including a non-magnetic housing in which the tablet and display are located.

14. The combination of claim 12 wherein the tablet and display are in close proximity so that there is a tendency for energy of the data latch pulses to be coupled as noise to coils of the tablet.

15. The combination of claim 12 wherein tablet and display are in superposed relation with each other.

16. A method of determining and displaying on a display device the position of an implement relative to a tablet including a two dimensional array of coils, the coils of the array being intermittently energized, the implement including a tuned circuit having a predetermined resonant frequency, the display device being responsive to display data latch pulses, comprising placing the implement proximate the tablet, and coupling energy at the resonant frequency from coils of the array to the implement and coupling to coils of the array energy at the resonant frequency from the tuned circuit while the implement is in proximity to the tablet so:

(a) there is intermittent coupling of the energy at the resonant frequency from the table to the implement in synchronism with coupling of the display data latch pulses to the display device, and (b) the data latch pulses are derived only at times energy at the resonant frequency is coupled from coils of the array to the implement.

17. A method of determining and displaying on a display device the position of an implement relative to a tablet, the implement including a tuned circuit having a predetermined resonant frequency, the display device being responsive to display data latch pulses, the display data latch pulses tending to produce noise on the display, the tablet including a two dimensional array of coils, comprising intermittently coupling energy at the resonant frequency from coils of the array to the implement, the implement tuned circuit responding to the energy at the resonant frequency to couple to coils of the array energy at the resonant frequency while the implement is in proximity to the tablet, and timing the occurrence of the data latch pulses and the intermittent energization of coils of the tablet such that the tendency of the noise to affect the display is overcome.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the timing is such that the data latch pulses are derived only while the coils are coupling energy at the resonant frequency to the implement.

19. An input/output apparatus comprising:

a coordinate input device wherein waves having magnetic components are intermittently transmitted from a tablet, said waves having magnetic components exciting a tuned circuit incorporated in an input designating device, said tablet suspending transmission of said waves having magnetic components, receiving waves having magnetic components transmitted by said tuning circuit to thereby detect the coordinates of a position designated with said input designating device;

a display device,

characterized in that the times while display data latch pulses are generated in said display device is synchronized with the transmission period of said waves having magnetic components from said tablet.

20. An input/output method employing a coordinate input designating device, a tablet and a display device in superposed relation with the tablet, including the steps of:

intermittently transmitting waves having magnetic components form the tablet;

exciting a tuned circuit incorporated in said coordinate input designating device by said waves having magnetic components;

receiving waves having magnetic components generated by said coordinate input designating device while transmission of said waves having magnetic components by the tablet is suspended;

detecting the coordinates of a position designated by said coordinate input designating device, to display them on said display device,

characterized in that the times while display data latch pulses are generated in said display device is synchronized with the transmission of waves having magnetic components from said tablet to said coordinate input designating device.