Position detecting device

• US 8,094,138 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Shibue, Shigenori, Asamura, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karimi, Pegeman
• Application Number:
  US11/889,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20080150915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 345/76, 345/102, 345/173, 345/179, 345174-176, 178/18.01, 178/18.09, 178/19.01, 178/19.05
• US Class Current: 345/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0386 for light pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

A position detecting device and method implemented therein that is able to accurately detect an indicated position even when a water droplet or the like is formed upon the position-detecting-device'"'"'s surface. The device includes: a light-guide plate placed upon a displaying surface of a displaying device; an emitting unit for emitting light beams that are totally reflected thickness-wise within the light-guide plate, so as to scan along the sides of the light-guide plate in an X-axis and a Y-axis direction under the control of an emission-control unit; an indicating device; and a coordinate calculating unit. In the indicating device, a light-guiding part guides light traveling within the light-guide plate into a detection unit, which detects the guided light in order to output a detection signal. The coordinate calculating unit calculates a coordinate position by deriving a scanned position from the detection signal and the emission-control unit.

Claims

1. A position detecting device, comprising:

a light-guide plate for placement upon a displaying surface of a displaying device, and made of a translucent material;

an emitting unit for emitting, from sides of said light-guide plate, arranged in line along an X-axis and a Y-axis, a plurality of light beams each of a predetermined width, so as to be totally reflected thickness-wise within said light-guide plate and to travel heading in predetermined directions parallel to the light-guide-plate plane;

an emission-control unit for controlling said emitting unit so as to perform a scanning by making the light beams each scan said light-guide plate in progression along the sides thereof, in an X-axis direction and in a Y-axis direction;

at least one indicating device having

a light-guiding part for guiding, by contacting said light-guide plate, thereinto light traveling within said light-guide plate, and

a detection unit for outputting, by detecting the light guided via the light-guiding part, a detection signal; and

a coordinate calculating unit for calculating, based on a scanned position derived from the detection signal and said emission-control unit, a coordinate position where said at least one indicating device contacts said light-guide plate,

wherein the emitting unit has a first plurality of light sources along one side arranged in line along the X-axis, and a second plurality of light sources along another side arranged in line along the Y-axis,

wherein the emission-control unit performs

a first control causing the first and second pluralities of light sources to simultaneously emit according to a first pattern a predetermined time before the initial light beam emission is performed in the scanning, thus notifying the coordinate calculating unit of a start time of the scanning;

a second control causing the first and second pluralities of light sources to simultaneously emit according to a second pattern a predetermined time after the final light beam emission is performed in the scanning, thus notifying the coordinate calculating unit of a stop time of the scanning; and

a scanning type control in between the first and second controls that causes each of the first and second pluralities of light sources to emit a light beam scanning in progression along the X-axis and the Y-axis, respectively, and

wherein the first pattern causes the first and second pluralities of light sources to simultaneously emit twice in predetermined time intervals, and the second pattern causes the first and second pluralities of light sources to simultaneously emit once for a predetermined time.

2. The position detecting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the emitting unit has a plurality of light sources that outputs the light beams along the sides of the light-guide plate.

3. The position detecting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the emitting unit has a plurality of shutters that controls emission of the light beams along the sides of the light-guide plate.

4. The position detecting device as set forth in any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein

said at least one indicating device has said coordinate calculating unit, and a transmitting unit for transmitting externally, as a coordinate signal, the coordinate position calculated by said coordinate calculating unit.

5. The position detecting device as set forth in claim 4, wherein

said at least one indicating device includes a plurality of indicating devices each having different identification information, and transmitting, together with the coordinate signal, an identification signal based on its identification information;

the position detecting device further comprising

a coordinate outputting device for receiving the identification signal and the coordinate signal transmitted from said at least one indicating device, and for outputting, based on the received identification and coordinate signals, the coordinate position, so as to distinguish the plurality of indicating devices from each other.

6. The position detecting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the emitting unit takes, before and after the light beams scanning in progression, a first simultaneous control and a second simultaneous control whereby the light beams are emitted at the same time.

7. The position detecting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the light-guide plate is constructed of a first light-guide plate, and a second light-guide plate that is softer than the first light-guide plate and overlaid thereupon.

8. The position detecting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the coordinate calculating unit calculates the coordinate position based on a timing of the scanning controlled by the emission-control unit, and a timing of the detection of the light as indicated by the detection signal.

9. The position detecting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the coordinate calculating unit calculates the coordinate position based on the time between the first and second controls when the detection of the light as indicated by the detection signal occurred.

10. A method implemented in a position detecting device which includes a light-guide plate disposed on a displaying surface of a displaying device and made of a translucent material, a first plurality of light sources arranged in line along one side of the light-guide plate arranged in an X-axis direction, and a second plurality of light sources arranged in line along another side arranged in a Y-axis direction, the method comprising:

controlling said first and second plurality of light sources to perform a scanning by emitting light beams, each of a predetermined width, which scan the light-guide plate in progression along the sides in the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction, respectively, so as to be totally reflected thickness-wise within said light-guide plate and to travel in predetermined directions parallel to the light-guide-plate plane;

utilizing an indicating device to contact the light-guide plate, the indicating device having;

a light-guiding part which guides thereinto part of the light traveling within the light-guide plate when the indicating device contacts the light guiding plate, and

a detection unit outputs a detection signal in response to detecting the light guided via the light-guiding part; and

calculating, based on a scanned position derived from the detection signal and a timing of the controlled scanning of a light beam, a coordinate position where said at indicating device contacts said light-guide plate,

wherein a first control of causing the first and second plurality of light sources to simultaneously emit according to a first pattern is performed a predetermined time before the initial light beam emission is performed in the scanning, thus providing a notification of a start time of scanning,

wherein a second control of causing the first and second plurality of light sources to simultaneously emit according to a second pattern is performed a predetermined time after the final light beam emission is performed in the scanning, thus providing a notification of a stop time of scanning,

wherein the first and second pluralities of light sources are controlled to cause the scanning of the light beams to occur between the first and second controls,

wherein the coordinate position is calculated based on the time between the first and second controls when the detection of the light as indicated by the detection signal occurred, and

wherein the first pattern causes the first and second pluralities of light sources to simultaneously emit twice in predetermined time intervals, and the second pattern causes the first and second pluralities of light sources to simultaneously emit once for a predetermined time.