Coordinate input device detecting touch on board associated with liquid crystal display, and electronic device therefor

• US 7,088,347 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Iisaka, Hidehito, Sakata, Hidefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US10/097,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20020135570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1807, 178 1901- 1906
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate

Abstract

A coordinate input device is associated with a liquid crystal display to detect a touch or contact thereon. A transparent board is arranged on the screen of the display to provide a coordinate input surface having a substantially rectangular shape. At least one vibration detector (e.g., a microphone or piezoelectric element) is attached onto the board to detect vibration or sound that occurs when a position input member is brought into contact with the coordinate input surface at an arbitrary input position. The input position is represented as one-dimensional coordinate based on outputs of two vibration detectors, or it is represented as two-dimensional coordinates based on outputs of three vibration detectors. Thus, the manually designated input position is detected and is electronically displayed on the screen of the display. As the position input member, it is possible to use a pen, a fingernail, etc.

Claims

1. A coordinate input device for inputting coordinates on a screen of a display, comprising:

a board providing a coordinate input surface;

a plurality of vibration detectors that are arranged on the board or in a periphery of the coordinate input surface, wherein each of the vibration detectors detects vibration or sound that occurs when a position input member is brought into contact with the coordinate input surface of the board at an arbitrary input position, the vibration detectors each outputting a vibration detection signal at a timing corresponding to the detection of the vibration or sound;

a time difference determiner that determines a time difference between timing of a vibration detection signal from one of the vibration detectors and timing of a vibration detection signal from another of the vibration detectors; and

a calculation device that performs calculations based on the time difference determined by the time difference determiner in order to determine the input position at which the vibration occurs on the coordinate input surface of the board.

2. A coordinate input device according to claim 1, the coordinate input surface of the board having a substantially rectangular shape so that two vibration detectors are arranged along with opposite sides of the coordinate input surface, and the calculation device producing one-dimensional coordinate based on two vibration detection signals respectively output from the two vibration detectors as a representation of the input position on the coordinate input surface of the board.

3. A coordinate input device according to claim 1, the coordinate input surface of the board having a substantially rectangular shape so that three vibration detectors are arranged in proximity to three corners of the coordinate input surface, and the calculation device producing two-dimensional coordinates based on three vibration detection signals respectively output from the three vibration detectors as a representation of the input position on the coordinate input surface of the board.

4. A coordinate input device according to claim 1, the calculation device producing vibration levels based on the vibration detection signals respectively output from the vibration detectors.

5. A coordinate input device for inputting coordinates on a screen of a display, comprising:

a board providing a coordinate input surface that has a substantially rectangular shape;

a plurality of vibration detectors that are arranged in proximity to prescribed corners of the coordinate input surface of the board, each of the vibration detectors detecting vibration or sound that occurs when a position input member is brought into contact with the coordinate input surface of the board at an arbitrary input position; and

calculation means for performing calculations based on vibration detection signals respectively output from the plurality of vibration detectors, thus producing one-dimensional coordinate or two-dimensional coordinates as representation of the input position at which the vibration occurs on the coordinate input surface of the board,

a plurality of vibration inducing projections being arranged on the coordinate input surface of the board, the vibration-inducing projections inducing vibration of the coordinate input surface when contacted by a non-vibrating position input member.

6. An electronic device comprising:

a display; and

a coordinate input device that comprises

a transparent board attached onto a screen of the display, the transparent board having a coordinate input surface substantially having a rectangular shape,

at least one vibration detector that is arranged on the transparent board or in a periphery of the coordinate input surface, the vibration detector detecting vibration or sound generated by contact between a non-vibrating position input member and the coordinate input surface of the transparent board at an arbitrary input position, and

calculation means for performing calculations based on a vibration detection signal output from the vibration detector, thus producing coordinate information as a representation of the input position at which the vibration occurs on the coordinate input surface of the transparent board,

the input position being displayed on the screen of the display based on the coordinate information produced by the calculation means.

7. An electronic device according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of projections are arranged on the coordinate input surface of the transparent board.

8. An electronic device according to claim 6, wherein two vibration detectors are arranged along with opposite sides of the coordinate input surface so that the calculation means produces one-dimensional coordinate based on two vibration detection signals respectively output from the two vibration detectors as the coordinate information.

9. An electronic device according to claim 6, wherein three vibration detectors are arranged in proximity to three corners of the coordinate input surface so that the calculation means produces two-dimensional coordinates based on three vibration detection signals respectively output from the three vibration detectors as the coordinate information.

10. An electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the display is a liquid crystal display or an electroluminescent display.

11. An electronic device according to claim 6 further comprising a switching circuit for performing a prescribed switching operation in response to the vibration detection signal output from the vibration detector.