Position pointing device including a memory and a position detecting device coupled by AC fields to the pointing device

• US 5,672,852 A
• Filed: 03/17/1995
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Katsurahira, Yuji, Fukuzaki, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US08/406,203
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18, 178/19, 178/20, 345/156, 345/173, 345/174, 345/176, 345/177, 345/179
• US Class Current: 178/18.07
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means

Abstract

A position detecting device and a position pointing device therefor transmit information concerning the position pointing device or an operator from a cordless position pointing device to a tablet. An AC field containing information about the position pointing device or the operator and a write instruction is transmitted to the position pointing device by an instruction source of the tablet. The information is stored in a memory of the position pointing device by an instruction extractor responsive to a controller of the position pointing device. The stored information is read out to a characteristic controller in response to an AC field containing a read instruction received by the device from the tablet.

Claims

1. A position detecting device wherein a position pointing device emits an AC field having a certain spatial distribution which corresponds to the coordinate value of a position pointed by the position pointing device, a tablet detects the AC field to determine the coordinate value of the position pointed by said position pointing device, and said position pointing device controls the intensity characteristic, frequency characteristic, or the time-dependent changes of these characteristics of said AC field in accordance with predetermined individual information, and the tablet detects them to determine the predetermined individual information from said position pointing device:

said position pointing device comprising;

a memory for storing predetermined individual information,

an AC field receiver for receiving an AC field transmitted from the tablet and which contains predetermined individual information and a write instruction therefor or a read instruction for said predetermined individual information,

an instruction extractor for extracting the predetermined individual information and the write instruction therefor or the read instruction for said predetermined individual information from said received AC field, and

an information controller for writing the predetermined individual information to said memory in accordance with said extracted write instruction and for reading the predetermined individual information from said memory as said predetermined individual information in accordance with said extracted read instruction; and

said tablet comprising;

an instruction source for creating predetermined individual information and a write instruction therefor or a read instruction for reading said predetermined individual information,

an AC field transmitter for transmitting to the position pointing device an AC field, which contains said predetermined individual information and the write instruction therefor or the read instruction for said predetermined individual information, and

an information reproducer for reproducing the predetermined individual information from the intensity characteristic, frequency characteristic or time-dependent changes of these characteristics of the detected AC field.

4. A position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the position pointing device is provided with a display for displaying predetermined individual information stored in the memory.

5. A position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein a resonance circuit is used as the AC field receiver of the position pointing device.

6. A position detecting device according to claim 5, wherein the resonance circuit of the position pointing device is employed as the AC field generator.

7. A position detecting device according to claim 6, wherein the resonance characteristic of the resonance circuit is changed to accomplish the characteristic controller of the position pointing device.

8. A position detecting device according to claim 5, comprising a power extractor for extracting electrical energy for driving the component units of the position pointing device from an AC field received through the resonance circuit.

9. A position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the information on the characteristic of each position pointing device is used as the predetermined individual information and the tablet is provided with a processor for processing the coordinate value of a pointed position in accordance with said information which is reproduced.

10. A position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein information about an operator using the position pointing device is employed as the predetermined individual information and the tablet is provided with a processor which processes the coordinate value of a pointed position in accordance with said information which is reproduced.

11. A position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the information indicating the application of each position pointing device is employed as the predetermined individual information and the tablet is provided with a processor for transferring to a host system said information, which has been reproduced, as well as the coordinate value of a pointed position.

12. A position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the information for identifying respective position pointing devices is employed as the predetermined individual information and the tablet is provided with a processor for determining said information which has been reproduced, thereby controlling actuation.

2. A position detecting device having a position pointing device and a tablet:

said position pointing device comprising;

an AC field generator for generating an electromagnetic wave having a certain spatial distribution which corresponds to the coordinate value of a pointed position,

a characteristic controller for controlling the intensity characteristic, frequency characteristic or time-dependent changes in these characteristics of the AC field, which is generated by said AC field generator, in accordance with predetermined individual information,

a memory for storing the predetermined individual information,

an AC field receiver for receiving an AC field which is transmitted from the tablet and which contains predetermined individual information and a write instruction therefor or a read instruction for said predetermined individual information,

an instruction extractor for extracting the predetermined individual information and the write instruction therefor or the read instruction for said predetermined individual information from said received AC field, and

an information controller for writing the predetermined individual information to said storing means in accordance with said extracted write instruction and for reading the predetermined individual information from said memory as said predetermined information into the characteristic control means in accordance with said extracted read instruction; and

said tablet comprising;

an instruction source for creating the predetermined individual information and the write instruction therefor or the read instruction for said predetermined individual information,

an AC field transmitter for transmitting to the position pointing device an AC field, which contains said predetermined individual information and the write instruction therefor or the read instruction for said predetermined individual information,

an AC field detector for detecting an AC field emitted from the position pointing device,

a coordinate detector for determining the coordinate value of a position specified by the position pointing device from the spatial distribution of said detected AC field, and

an information reproducer for reproducing the predetermined individual information from the intensity characteristic, frequency characteristic or time-dependent changes of these characteristics of said detected AC field.

3. A position detecting device having a position pointing device and a tablet:

said position pointing device comprising;

an AC field generator for generating an AC field having certain spatial distribution which corresponds to the coordinate value of a pointed position,

a characteristic controller for controlling in accordance with predetermined individual information an intensity characteristic, frequency characteristic, or time-dependent changes in these characteristics of the AC field, which is generated by said, AC field generator,

a memory for storing the predetermined individual information,

an information generator for generating at least one type of operating information,

an AC field receiver for receiving an AC field which is transmitted from the tablet and which contains predetermined individual information and a write instruction therefor, a read instruction for said predetermined individual information, or a request instruction for operating information,

an instruction extractor for extracting the predetermined individual information and the write instruction therefor, the read instruction for said predetermined individual information or the request instruction for the operating information from said received AC field, and

an information controller for writing the predetermined individual information to said memory in accordance with said extracted write instruction, for reading the predetermined individual information from said memory as said predetermined individual information into the characteristic controller in accordance with said extracted read instruction, and setting said operating information as said predetermined individual information in the characteristic controller in accordance with said extracted request instruction; and

said tablet comprising;

an instruction source for creating the predetermined individual information and the write instruction therefor, the read instruction for said predetermined individual information, or the request instruction for the operating information,

an AC field transmitter for transmitting AC field, which contains said predetermined individual information and the write instruction therefor, the read instruction for said predetermined individual information, or the request instruction for the operating information, to the position pointing device,

an AC field detector for detecting an AC field emitted from the position pointing device,

a coordinate detector for determining the coordinate value of a position specified by the position pointing device from the spatial distribution of said detected AC field, and

an information reproducer for reproducing the predetermined individual information or the operating information from the intensity characteristic, frequency characteristic or time-dependent changes of these characteristics of said detected AC field.

13. A position pointing device comprising:

an AC field generator for generating an electromagnetic wave having a certain spatial distribution which corresponds to the coordinate value of a pointed position,

a characteristic controller for controlling an intensity characteristic, frequency characteristic, or time-dependent changes in these characteristics of the AC field, which is generated by said AC field generator, in accordance with predetermined individual information,

a memory for storing the predetermined individual information,

an AC field receiver for receiving an electromagnetic wave which is transmitted from a tablet and which contains predetermined individual information and a write instruction therefor or a read instruction for said predetermined individual information,

an instruction extractor for extracting the predetermined individual information and the write instruction therefor or the read instruction for said predetermined individual information from said received AC field, and

an information controller for writing the predetermined individual information to said memory in accordance with said extracted write instruction and reading the predetermined individual information from said memory as said predetermined individual information into the characteristic controller in accordance with said extracted read instructions.

15. A position pointing device according to claim 13, comprising a display for displaying the predetermined individual information stored in the memory.

16. A position pointing device according to claim 13, wherein a resonance circuit is used as an AC field receiver.

17. A position pointing device according to claim 16, wherein the resonance circuit is used as an AC field generator.

18. A position pointing device according to claim 17, wherein the resonance characteristic of the resonance circuit is changed to accomplish a characteristic control means.

19. A position pointing device according to claim 16, comprising a power extractor for extracting electrical energy for driving component units from an AC field received through the resonance circuit.

14. A position pointing device comprising:

an AC field generator for generating an AC field having a certain spatial distribution which corresponds to the coordinate value of a pointed position,

a characteristic controller for controlling an intensity characteristic, frequency characteristic, or time-dependent changes in these characteristics of the AC field, which is generated by said AC field generator, in accordance with predetermined individual information,

a memory for storing the predetermined individual information,

an information generator for generating at least one type of operating information,

an AC field receiver for receiving an electromagnetic wave which is transmitted from the tablet and which contains predetermined individual information and a write instruction therefor, a read instruction for said predetermined individual information, or a request instruction for operating information,

an instruction extractor for extracting the predetermined individual information and the write instruction therefor, the read instruction for said predetermined individual information, or the request instruction for the operating information from said received AC field, and

an information controller for writing the predetermined individual information to said memory in accordance with said extracted write instruction, for reading the predetermined individual information from said memory as said predetermined individual information into the characteristic controller in accordance with said extracted read instruction, and setting said operating information as said predetermined information in the characteristic controller in accordance with said extracted request instruction.