Coordinates input apparatus
First Claim
1. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
- vibration propagation means for allowing a vibration to propagate therethrough;
an input pen for applying vibration to said vibration propagation means;
vibration detecting means for detecting vibration applied by said input pen;
envelope output means for producing an envelope signal representing the envelope of the vibration detected by said vibration detecting means;
differentiation means for conducting a differentiation of said envelope signal produced by said envelope output means;
control means adapted for determining, a;
the time of arrival of said vibration, a zero-cross point of said vibration detected by said vibration detecting means located in the vicinity of a zero-cross point of the signal from said differentiation means; and
computing means for computing the distance between said input pen and said vibration detection means from the time determined by said control means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A coordinates input apparatus, for example, a digitizer, has a vibration propagation medium such as a transparent glass plate for allowing a vibration to propagate therethrough; an input pen for applying vibration to the vibration propagation medium; a vibration detector for detecting vibration applied by the input pen; an envelope output device for producing an envelope signal representing the envelope of the vibration detected by the vibration detector; a differentiator for conducting a differentiation of the envelope signal produced by the envelope output device so as to determine the peak; a controller adapted for determining, as the time of arrival of the vibration, a zero-cross point of the vibration that is located in the vicinity of a zero-cross point of the signal from the differentiator; and a computing device for computing the distance between the input pen and the vibration detector from the time determined by the controller.
77 Citations
81 Claims
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1. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
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vibration propagation means for allowing a vibration to propagate therethrough; an input pen for applying vibration to said vibration propagation means; vibration detecting means for detecting vibration applied by said input pen; envelope output means for producing an envelope signal representing the envelope of the vibration detected by said vibration detecting means; differentiation means for conducting a differentiation of said envelope signal produced by said envelope output means; control means adapted for determining, a;
the time of arrival of said vibration, a zero-cross point of said vibration detected by said vibration detecting means located in the vicinity of a zero-cross point of the signal from said differentiation means; andcomputing means for computing the distance between said input pen and said vibration detection means from the time determined by said control means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10)
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9. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
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an input pen having a vibrator which produces vibration in accordance with driving pulses; vibration propagation means adapted to be contacted by said input pen so as to receive and propagate said vibration; a plurality of vibration detection means provided in contact with different portions of said vibration propagation means and adapted to convert the vibration into electric signals upon detecting said vibration which have propagated through said vibration propagation means; envelope generating means for generating a signal representing the envelope of each of said electric signals from said vibration detection means; differentiation means adapted for conducting a predetermined number of differentiation operations on said envelope signal generated by said envelope generating means; computing means for determining, as the arriving time of said vibration, the timing of a zero-cross of the signal from said vibration detection means immediately after a zero-cross point of the signal derived from said differentiation means, said computing means further adapted to compute the position where said input pen contacts said vibration propagation means from the time required for said vibration to propagate from the position of contact of said input pen to the position where said detection means are provided; and display means for displaying data concerning the position where said input pen contacts said vibration propagation means computed by said computing means. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A coordinate input apparatus comprising:
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vibration generation means for vibrating in response to driving pulses; vibration propagation means for receiving said vibration from said vibration generating means and for propagating the received vibration; vibration detecting means for detecting said vibration propagating through said vibration propagation means; threshold level setting means for setting threshold levels on the positive side and negative side of the zero level of the vibration detected by said vibration detecting means; and control means for determining the time of arrival of said vibration at said vibration detecting means, from said vibration detected by said vibration detection means exceeded said threshold levels at both said positive and negative sides. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
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vibration generating means for generating vibration in response to a signal vibration propagation means for receiving vibration from said vibration generating means and for propagating the received vibration; vibration detecting means provided in contact with said vibration propagation means and adapted for detecting the vibration delivered from said vibration generating means; and computing means for computing, from the group velocity and the phase velocity of said vibration detected by said vibration detecting means, the distance between said vibration generating means and said vibration detecting means. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
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vibration generating means adapted to vibrate in response to a signal; vibration propagation means for receiving said vibration generated by said vibration generating means and for propagating the received vibration; vibration detecting means for detecting the vibration propagated through said vibration propagation means; envelope signal generating means for generating an envelope signal representing the envelope of the vibration detected by said vibration detecting means; arrival signal generating means for generating a signal indicating that said vibration generated by said vibration generating means has propagated through said vibration propagation means and arrived at said vibration detecting means, from said envelope signal and said vibration detected by said vibration detecting means; and computing means for computing the propagation time of said vibration upon receipt of said arrival signal, in such a manner as to compensate for loss time incurred in said envelope signal generating means. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method of determining a vibration propagation time comprising the steps of:
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a first step for applying a vibration to a vibration propagation means and simultaneously starting a counter for counting an internal clock to generate a time value; a second step for generating an envelope signal representing the envelope of a signal from vibration detecting means disposed in contact with said vibration propagation means; a third step for detecting the peak of said envelope signal; and a fourth step for determining the propagation time from the value counted by said counter till the moment of zero-cross of the first signal from said vibration detecting means after the detection of said peak of said envelope signal.
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42. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
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a tabular vibration propagation means for propagating vibration; vibration means adapted for generating vibration upon receipt of an electric signal; an input pen adapted for delivering said vibration generated by said vibration means to said vibration propagation means at a desired portion of said vibration propagation means; vibration detection means held in contact with said vibration propagation means so as to detect said vibration propagated through said vibration propagation means; and driving means for producing modulated pulses for driving said vibration means such that the envelope of the detection signal produced by said vibration detection means includes a plurality of peaks. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
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vibration propagation means for propagating a vibration therethrough; an input pen for applying a vibration to said vibration propagation means; vibration detection means for detecting vibration applied to said vibration propagation means by said input pen; differentiation means for effecting a plurality of differentiation operations an envelope signal delivered by an envelope signal generating means adapted for outputting the envelope of the vibration detected by said vibration detection means; control means for determining, as a vibration arrival time, the zero-cross point of said vibration detected by said vibration detection means in the vicinity of a zero-cross point of the signal derived from said differentiation means; and computing means for computing the distance between said input pen and said vibration detection means from the arrival time determined by said control means. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
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signal generating means for generating signals for appointing a position whose coordinates are to be input; signal propagation means for propagating said signal generated by said signal generating means; a plurality of signal detection means provided at different positions so as to detect said signal propagated through said signal propagation means; order setting means for setting the order of said signal detection means so as to select a predetermined number of said detecting means out of all said signal detecting means in accordance with the order of receipt of said signal propagated through said signal propagation means; and computing means for computing the position appointed by said signal generating means on the basis of the timings of the detection of said signal by said signal detecting means selected by said order setting means. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
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62. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
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a transparent tabular vibration propagation means; a vibration pen adapted to be placed in contact with said vibration propagation means so as to apply a vibration to said vibration propagation means; a plurality of vibration detection means provided in contact with said vibration propagation means so as to detect the vibration applied to said vibration propagation means by said vibration pen; an envelope generating means for generating a signal representing the envelope of the vibration detected by said vibration detection means; computing means for computing the position where said vibration propagation means is contacted by said vibration pen, from the timing at which said vibration arrived at said vibration detection means; and display means underlying said vibration propagation means so as to display a position corresponding to the position of contact computed by said computing means. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64)
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65. A coordinates input pen comprising:
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vibration generating means adapted for vibrating in response to driving pulses; a horn for transmitting the vibration generated by said vibration generating means to the end of said pen; fixing means provided on said horn at such a position where the node of vibration applied by said vibration generating means to said horn appears; and a holder for holding said horn and said signal generating means through said fixing means. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71)
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72. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
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vibration means adapted to generate a vibration in response to an electric signal; a horn for transmitting the vibration generated by said vibration means to an end of a pen; and driving means adapted for generating pulses of a frequency equal to the resonance frequency of said horn so as to drive said vibration means at the resonance frequency of said horn. - View Dependent Claims (73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A coordinates input apparatus comprising:
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an input pen having a vibrator which produces vibration in accordance with driving pulses; vibration propagation means adapted to be contacted by said input pen so as to receive and propagate said vibration; a plurality of vibration detection means provided in contact with different portions of said vibration propagation means and adapted to convert the vibration into electric signals upon detecting said vibration which have propagated through said vibration propagation means; envelope generating means for generating a signal representing the envelope of each of said electric signals from said vibration detection means; differentiation means adapted for conducting a predetermined number of differentiation operations on said envelope signal generated by said envelope generating means; and computing means for determining, as the arriving time of said vibration, the timing of a zero-cross of the signal from said vibration detection means immediately after a zero-cross of the signal derived from said differentiation means, said computing means further adapted to compute the position where said input pen contacts said vibration propagation means from the time required for said vibration to propagate from the position of contact of said input pen to the position where said detection means are provided. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79, 80, 81)
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Specification