Pointing unit and improved stylus pen

• US 5,576,502 A
• Filed: 09/18/1995
• Issued: 11/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Wakabayashi, Minoru, Fukushima, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chilcot, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): BIEGEL, RONALD L
• Application Number:
  US08/529,545
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 73/862.041, 73/862.541, 73/862.69, 73/865.7, 364/709.11, 178/18
• US Class Current: 73/862.68
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus

Abstract

The invention relates to a pointing unit adapted for a stylus pen associated with a coordinate data input device which has been commonly used as one of some input devices for a computer system. This pointing unit comprises a casing formed in a substantially cylindrical shape; a support member installed in the interior of the casing, the support member being limited to move in the reverse direction of one end opening of the casing; a cap member formed in the same cylindrical shape as the casing, the external diameter of the cap member being slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the casing, one end of the cap member being formed in a dome shape and arranged close to the end opening so as to protrude a predetermined length of the dome shape end from the end opening of the casing, the cap member being limited to move in the outward direction and on the contrary freely sliding in the inward direction; a core member made of magnetic material arranged close to the inner surface of the dome shape end of the cap member; a coil member made of magnetic material, interposed between the core member and the support member; and an elastic member arranged in a narrow space defined between the coil member and the inner surface of the dome shape end of the cap member to urge the cap member outward in the reverse direction with respect to the coil member so that the dome shape end of the cap member is protruded some length from the opening end of the casing.

Claims

1. A pointing unit adapted for a stylus pen, comprising:

a casing formed in a substantially cylindrical shape;

a support member installed in the interior of the casing, the support member being limited to move in the reverse direction of the opening end of the casing;

a cap member being located close to the opening end of the casing and formed in a cylindrical shape with a dome shape end protruding in the outward direction of the opening end by a predetermined length therefrom and the external diameter being slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the casing, the cap member being limited to move from the predetermined position in the outward direction of the opening end and on the contrary movable freely sliding in the inward direction;

a magnetic member made of magnetic material, arranged close to the inner surface of the dome shape end of the cap member;

a coil member including a magnetic core, interposed between the cap member and the support member; and

an elastic member arranged in a narrow space defined between the coil member and the inner surface of the dome shape end of the cap member to urge said cap member in the outward direction with respect to the coil member so that the dome shape end of the cap member is defined at the predetermined position protruding some length from the opening end of the casing.

2. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a capacitor electrically connected to the coil member;

the capacitor and coil member constitute a resonant circuit whose oscillating state is varied in response to the inward movement of the cap member against the urging force by the elastic member.

3. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 1 capable of performing a positioning operation on a sensor plate including multiple sensor coils arranged parallel to each coordinate axial direction of a coordinate data input device through the dome shape end of the cap member.

4. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cap member includes a support pin which is protruded inwardly from the inner surface of the dome shape cap end in the axial direction of the cap member, and the magnetic member formed in an annular shape through which the support pin is inserted, the support pin further passing through the elastic member and the forward end of the support pin being inserted in the coil member.

5. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the support member includes a support projection protruding towards the opening end of the casing in the axial direction of the casing, the support projection being inserted in the coil member.

6. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the elastic member and the coil member are in contact with each other through an annular spacer having a smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the casing.

7. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a coil spring having the diameter smaller than the internal diameter of the cap member and greater than the external diameter of the magnetic member, one end of the coil spring being in contact with the inner surface of the dome shape cap end of the cap member and the other end being in contact with one end of the coil member.

8. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a conical coil spring whose diameter is gradually reduced from the coil member side to the opening end side of the casing, one end of said conical coil spring being in contact with the end of the magnetic member and the other end being in contact with one end of the coil member.

9. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 8, wherein the conical coil spring is held so as to be compressed until the same thickness as the wire diameter of the coil spring.

10. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cap member further includes holding means for engaging with the internal surface of the casing so that the dome shape cap end of said cap member is limited to protrude outwards more than a predetermined length from the opening end of said casing.

11. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cap member further includes holding means for engaging with the support member so that the dome shape cap end of said cap member is limited to protrude outwards more than a predetermined length from the opening end of said casing.

12. The pointing unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the support member includes one end which is in contact with the coil and a holder section for holding a circuit board on which electronic components and circuit are mounted, said holder section being extended from the opposite surface of said end along the axis of the casing.

13. A stylus pen for a coordinate data input device comprising:

a pen casing whose first inner space near one end includes a pointing unit, and the second inner space near the other end includes a core unit, the forward end of which is protruded through an opening formed in the other end;

a variable capacitor which supports the core unit, the capacitance of said variable capacitor being varied in response to the pressure applied to the core unit; and

a coil for constituting a resonant circuit in combination with the variable capacitor.