Touch panel device

• US 6,633,280 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2000
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation, Tohoku Pioneer Corporation (Pioneer Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation, Tohoku Pioneer Corporation (Pioneer Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Kanya, Nakazono, Jiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Said, Mansour M.
• Application Number:
  US09/712,128
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/159, 345/160, 345/169, 345/173, 345/177, 178/19.01, 178/19.03, 178/18-1-, 178/19.06, 178/19.02, 178/19.04, 178/19.05, 178/20.01
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0433 in which the acoustic waves are either generated by a movable member and propagated within a surface layer or propagated within a surface layer and captured by a movable member

Abstract

There are provided microphones 11A, 11B arranged at least any two different locations of edge portions of a touch panel 10, for sensing a ultrasonic signal propagated through a space, an input pen 12 containing a piezoelectric loudspeaker 12G, for oscillating a ultrasonic wave that is output from the piezoelectric loudspeaker 12G, and a touch position sensor 13 for calculating a coordinate of a touch position P by calculating distances between the microphones 11A, 11B and the touch position P of the input pen 12 on the touch panel 10 based on the ultrasonic wave sensed by the microphones 11A, 11B, whereby the microphones 11A, 11B have a sound collecting directivity characteristic in response to fitted positions of the edge portions of the touch panel 10.

Claims

1. A touch panel device for sensing a touch position on a touch panel comprising:

a flat display device;

the touch panel provided in front of the flat display device;

an input pen containing a signal oscillating member, for oscillating a sound signal that is output from the signal oscillating member from a top end portion;

two sound collecting members respectively arranged at least at any two different locations of edge portions of the touch panel, for sensing the sound signal propagated through a space;

a coordinate position calculating member for calculating a coordinate of the touch position of the input pen on the touch panel by calculating distances between the two sound collecting members and the touch position of the input pen on the touch panel, based on the sound signal oscillated from the input pen to be sensed by the sound collecting members; and

an oscillating signal absorbing member for absorbing the sound signal oscillated from the signal oscillating member to edge portions of the touch panel,

wherein the sound collecting members have a sound collecting directivity characteristic that covers an overall surface of the touch panel in response to fitted positions of the edge portions of the touch panel.

2. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein each of the two sound collecting members is a microphone.

3. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the two sound collecting members are arranged at corner positions of the edge portions of the touch panel and have a 90-degree sound collecting directivity characteristic in a flat plane that is parallel to the touch panel.

4. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein each of the two sound collecting members have a horn member to form an opening portion that is opened forward by an angle of 90 degree.

5. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the sound collecting members are arranged at middle positions of the edge portions of the touch panel and have a 180-degree sound collecting directivity characteristic in a flat plane that is parallel to the touch panel.

6. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the signal oscillating member is a piezoelectric loudspeaker containing a piezoelectric element.

7. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the input pen has an opening portion formed at a top end portion, and the sound signal that is output by the signal oscillating member being built in the input pen is oscillated from the opening portion to have a directivity of 360 degree around a penholder of the input pen.

8. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein an inner wall surface of the pen point portion of the input pen is formed in a circular cone shape such that a diameter is reduced smaller toward a top end side, an inside of the circular cone shape is communicated to an outside via an opening portion that is formed on a top end of the input pen, and the sound signal output from the signal oscillating member via the inside of the circular cone shape formed at the pen point portion of the input pen is oscillated from the opening portion.

9. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein a top end of the input pen is formed in a spherical shape, and opening portions that oscillate the sound signal being output from the signal oscillating member to an outside are formed on an outer peripheral surface of the input pen in rear of the top end being formed like the spherical shape.

10. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the input pen has a battery member that supplies a drive power to the signal oscillating member therein, a holder for holding the input pen is prepared, a charging member is built in the holder, and the battery member of the input pen is charged by the charging member when the input pen is held by the holder.

11. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the flat display device consists of a plasma display panel.