Electronic pen system

• US 8,482,539 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2011
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Toshihito, Ueno, Tatsuhito, Toyomura, Yuuji, Ogawa, Toshiyuki, Sakamoto, Kazuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US12/987,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20110169756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1809, 178 1901- 1905, 434/410
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An electronic pen transmits pen information to a controller corresponding to detection of a touch condition, and thereafter turns ON a connecting switch that disconnects electrical connection between the tip portion and the grip portion of the pen that are provided in a state of being electrically disconnected from each other so as to cause a pen input acceptance state. The controller determines that position detection information is from the electronic pen when the position detection information is received from a position detecting device after the pen information is received from the electronic pen, while the controller determines that position detection information is from a finger when the position detection information is received from the position detecting device without receiving the pen information from the electronic pen.

Claims

1. An electronic pen system comprising:

an electronic pen;

a touch panel body having a touch surface on which a touch operation is performed by the electronic pen or by a finger;

a position detecting device that detects a touch position on the touch surface of the touch panel where the touch operation is performed; and

a controller that receives position detection information on the touch position from the position detecting device and determines whether the touch operation is performed by the electronic pen or by the finger,

the electronic pen comprising;

a grip portion that is grippable by a user'"'"'s hand;

a pen tip portion that is pressed onto the touch surface by a touch operation of the electronic pen;

a touch condition detector that detects a touch of the pen tip portion with the touch surface;

a pen information transmitter that transmits predetermined pen information to the controller when the touch condition detector detects the touch of the pen tip portion with the touch surface; and

a connecting switch that electrically connects the pen tip portion and the grip portion so that the user'"'"'s hand is brought into electrical continuity with the pen tip portion through the grip portion when the touch condition detector detects the touch of the pen tip portion with the touch surface;

wherein the controller determines that the touch operation is performed by the electronic pen when the controller receives the position detection information from the position detecting device after receiving the pen information from the electronic pen, while the controller determines that the touch operation is performed by the finger when the controller receives the position detection information from the position detecting device without receiving the pen information from the electronic pen.

2. The electronic pen system according to claim 1, further comprising a switch controller that turns the connecting switch ON when a predetermined period of time passes after the touch condition detector detects the touch of the pen tip portion with the touch surface.

3. The electronic pen system according to claim 1, further comprising a switch controller that turns the connecting switch OFF when the touch condition detector does not detect the touch of the pen tip portion with the touch surface for a predetermined period of time.

4. The electronic pen system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first mechanical switch that comprises the touch condition detector;

a second mechanical switch that comprises the connecting switch; and

a switch operating mechanism that performs ON-OFF operation of the first mechanical switch and the second mechanical switch in conjunction with displacement of the tip portion of the pen at the time of a touch operation,

wherein the switch operating mechanism turns the first mechanical switch ON in conjunction with retraction displacement of the tip portion of the pen corresponding to pressing the tip portion of the pen onto the touch surface, and subsequently turns the second mechanical switch ON.

5. The electronic pen system according to claim 1, further comprising an operating unit that always keeps a mechanical switch, comprising the connecting switch, ON by a user'"'"'s operation.

6. The electronic pen system according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic pen further comprises a displacement amount detector that comprises the touch condition detector and detects a displacement amount of the tip portion of the pen corresponding to pressing the tip portion of the pen onto the touch surface, and pen information, to which the displacement amount of the tip portion of the pen detected by the displacement amount detector is added, is transmitted to the controller, and

wherein the controller performs a predetermined process corresponding to the displacement amount of the tip portion of the pen obtained by receiving the pen information from the electronic pen.

7. The electronic pen system according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic pen does not transmit pen information when, after detection results by the touch condition detector changes from a touch condition to a non-touch condition, another touch condition is detected before the non-touch condition has been detected for a predetermined period of time, and

wherein when the controller detects a starting point of a new stroke input after the controller detects an end point of a stroke input where a series of position detection information by consecutive touch operations disappears, the controller determines that the new stroke input was performed by the same directing subject which performed a proximate stroke input when the two stroke inputs satisfy predetermined proximity conditions.

8. The electronic pen system according to claim 7, wherein

the proximity conditions are set based on either one or both of the elapsed time from detection of an end point of a stroke input to detection of a starting point of a new stroke input and the spacing distance between an end point of a stroke input and a starting point of a new stroke input.

9. The electronic pen system according to claim 1, wherein

when the controller detects a starting point of a new stroke input after the controller detects an end point of a stroke input where a series of position detection information by consecutive touch operations disappears, the controller determines that the new stroke input was performed by the same directing subject which performed a proximate stroke input when the two stroke inputs satisfy predetermined proximity conditions, and the controller causes the displaying device to display a confirmation screen where a user designates a directing subject in a case where there is no previous stroke input that satisfies predetermined proximity conditions.

10. The electronic pen system according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic pen transmits pen information indicating a non-touch condition to the controller when detection results by the touch condition detector changes from a touch condition to a non-touch condition, and

wherein when the controller receives the pen information indicating a non-touch condition from the electronic pen substantially at the same time as the controller detects an end point of a stroke input, the controller determines that the stroke input is by the electronic pen, and when the controller does not receive the pen information from the electronic pen substantially at the same time as the controller detects an end point of a stroke input, the controller determines that the stroke input is by a finger.

11. An electronic pen system comprising:

an electronic pen;

a touch panel body having a touch surface on which a touch operation is performed by the electronic pen or by a finger;

a position detecting device that detects a touch position on the touch surface of the touch panel where the touch operation is performed; and

a controller that receives position detection information of the touch position from the position detecting device and determines whether the touch operation is performed by the electronic pen or by the finger,

the controller comprising;

a first controller that performs predetermined pen input processing corresponding to a touch operation by the electronic pen; and

a second controller that performs predetermined finger input processing corresponding to a touch operation by the finger,

wherein;

the controller concurrently performs the pen input processing of the first controller and the finger input processing of the second controller,

the electronic pen transmits pen information to the controller at the time of a touch operation, and

the controller determines that the stroke input is by the electronic pen or a finger depending on whether the controller receives the pen information from the electronic pen substantially at the same time as the controller receives the position detection information from the position detecting device.

12. The electronic pen system according to claim 11, wherein

the finger input processing performed in the second controller includes at least one of moving, rotating, enlarging, and shrinking a displayed object.

13. The electronic pen system according to claim 11, wherein

the electronic pen comprises:

a grip portion that is grippable by a user'"'"'s hand;

a pen tip portion that is pressed onto the touch surface by a touch operation of the electronic pen;

a touch condition detector that detects a touch of the pen tip portion with the touch surface;

a pen information transmitter that transmits predetermined pen information to the controller when the touch condition detector detects the touch of the pen tip portion with the touch surface; and

a connecting switch that electrically connects the pen tip portion and the grip portion so that the user'"'"'s hand is brought into electrical continuity with the pen tip portion through the grip portion when the touch condition detector detects the touch of the pen tip portion with the touch surface;

wherein the controller determines that the touch operation is performed by the electronic pen when the controller receives the position detection information from the position detecting device after receiving the pen information from the electronic pen, while the controller determines that the touch operation is performed by the finger when the controller receives the position detection information from the position detecting device without receiving the pen information from the electronic pen.

14. An electronic pen system comprising:

an electronic pen;

a touch panel body having a touch surface on which a touch operation is performed by the electronic pen or by a finger;

a position detecting device that detects a touch position on the touch surface of the touch panel where the touch operation is performed; and

a controller that receives position detection information of the touch position from the position detecting device and determines whether the touch operation is performed by the electronic pen or by the finger,

the controller comprising;

a first controller that performs predetermined pen input processing corresponding to a touch operation by the electronic pen; and

a second controller that performs predetermined finger input processing corresponding to a touch operation by the finger,

wherein;

the controller concurrently performs the pen input processing of the first controller and the finger input processing of the second controller,

the first controller performs a drawing process corresponding to a touch operation by the electronic pen and a property set in the electronic pen, the second controller performs an editing process to a displayed object corresponding to a touch operation by the finger, and

the controller has a finger drawing mode in which a touch operation by the finger is considered as a touch operation by the electronic pen, in response to a user'"'"'s command, and the first controller performs a drawing process corresponding to a touch operation by the finger based on a standard property in the finger drawing mode.

15. An electronic pen system comprising:

a plurality of electronic pens, each of the electronic pens has identification information;

a touch panel body having a touch surface on which a touch operation is performed by at least one of the electronic pens;

a position detecting device that detects a touch position of at least one of the electronic pens on the touch surface;

a display device that displays a predetermined image by using the touch surface as a display screen; and

a controller that causes the display device to display an image corresponding to position detection information obtained by the position detecting device,

wherein each of the electronic pens has a property selector that allows a user to select property information, and pen information including the property information selected by the property selector and the identification information of the each of the electronic pens is transmitted to the controller, and

wherein the controller causes the display device to display an image corresponding to the property information obtained based on the pen information received from each electronic pen.

16. The electronic pen system according to claim 15, wherein

each electronic pen transmits pen information to the controller at the time of a touch operation, and

wherein the controller determines from which electronic pen the position detection information received from the position detecting device came, based on the pen information received substantially at the same time as the controller received the position detection information from the position detecting device.

17. The electronic pen system according to claim 15, wherein

the controller device includes a drawing controller that draws an overlapping portion of a previously drawn image and a newly drawn image based on a drawing rule designated in advance when the new image is drawn so as to be superimposed on the previously drawn image, and

wherein the electronic pen includes a drawing rule designator that allows a user to designate a drawing rule, and information about the drawing rule designated by the drawing rule designator is transmitted to the controller.

18. The electronic pen system according to claim 15, wherein

the drawing rule relates to an overwriting process that draws the overlapping portion of the previously drawn image and the newly drawn image based on drawing conditions of the newly drawn image.

19. The electronic pen system according to claim 15, wherein

the drawing rule relates to a superimposing process that draws the overlapping portion of the previously drawn image and the newly drawn image based on drawing conditions obtained by modifying the drawing conditions of both the previously drawn image and the newly drawn image by a designated ratio.