JPS6131484B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, when an input pen is used to input an input to an input surface, that is, when the input pen is touched on the input surface, a signal corresponding to the input point, that is, a one-dimensional or two-dimensional coordinate signal is generated. Regarding the output tablet.

<Prior Art> In a conventional tablet, for example, as shown in _FIG . One end of the conducting wires 1 ₁ to 1n is connected to a resistor 12 extending in the direction in which the conducting wires 1 ₁ to 1n are arranged, and a power source 13 of, for example, a DC voltage is connected to both ends of the resistor 12. .

Therefore, each potential obtained by dividing the voltage of the power supply 13 appears on the conductor wires 1 ₁ to 1n by the resistor 12, and by inputting a pen to this input surface, the conductor wires 1 ₁ to 1n When it comes into contact with any one of the conductor wires, the potential of that conductor wire is taken out. In other words, conductor wire 1 ₁ ~
Input point position information in the 1n arrangement direction can be detected as a potential. In such a tablet, in order to increase the resolution of the positional information, the distance between adjacent conductor lines 1 ₁ to 1n must be narrowed, and therefore the resistance value between the connection points of each conductor line on the resistor 12 can be reduced. It is necessary to make the difference uniform and to reduce the difference, which makes it difficult to manufacture such a resistor.

<Summary of the Invention> An object of the present invention is to provide a tablet that can be manufactured with high resolution relatively easily.

According to this invention, a plurality of measurement wires made of a conductive material are arranged approximately parallel to each other and successively close to each other on an insulating substrate, and these measurement wires are sequentially connected in series to form a zigzag path. It is considered a measurement line. For example, a constant voltage is applied to both ends of this measurement line. In addition, means is provided for detecting pen position information input as a potential on this measurement line. Detection lines extending in the direction of extension are placed between adjacent measurement wires, and these detection lines are connected in parallel and have the same potential. and the detection line in its immediate vicinity are electrically connected to each other,
The potential on the measurement line is taken out from the detection line.

A two-dimensional signal can be extracted by providing two sets of such devices so that the extending directions of the measuring wires intersect with each other when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the input surface.

<Principle> FIG. 2 shows the principle of the tablet according to the invention. Measuring wires 1 ₁ to 1n are arranged close to each other in parallel on an insulating substrate 11, and in this example, both ends of these measuring wires 1 ₁ to 1n are alternately connected to each other to form a zigzag measuring wire 14 as a whole. It is configured. The measurement line 14 is formed to at least substantially cover the entire input surface 15.
Further, both ends of the measurement line 14 are terminals 16 and 17, and a DC power source 18 is connected between these terminals.

If you input an input pen to any position on this input surface 15 and set point 19 as an input point, then this point 1
The potential at 9 corresponds to the position in the arrangement direction of the measurement wires 1 ₁ to 1 n. Now, if the total width of the measurement wires 1 ₁ to 1n in the arrangement direction is u, the distance from the input point 19 to the measurement wire 1 ₁ is X, and the voltage of the power source 18 is E, then the voltage Vx of the input point 19 is , E×Vx/u. By measuring the potential at the input point 19 in this manner, the position in the arrangement direction of the measurement lines can be extracted as an electrical signal in this example.

This output as an electrical signal is performed at its input point 1.
For example, the potential of the input pen 21 may be measured by bringing the input pen 21 into contact with 9, but since the input pen 21 needs to be moved according to the selection of the input point, the extraction point must be fixed. is preferred.

From this point, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the measurement wires 1 ₁ to 1n of approximately the same length are arranged in parallel and close to each other on the insulating substrate 11, and in the figure, they extend horizontally and are arranged vertically. , the ends of which are adjacent to each other are sequentially connected to form a zigzag measurement line 14, and a detection line 22 is extended between each adjacent measurement line 14 along the measurement line. They are formed to have approximately the same length, and are connected in parallel. That is, connection lines 23 and 24 are formed at both ends of each measurement wire in the extending direction, close to each other along the arrangement direction, and every other detection line 22 is connected to the connection line 23, and every other detection line 22 is connected to the connection line 23, and the other Every other detection line 23 is connected to a connection line 24, respectively.

In such a configuration, as described above, the measurement line 1
A power supply is connected between the terminals 16 and 17 at both ends of the input screen 15, and the input to the input surface 15 is input to, for example, the input point 19 using the pen 21. At this position, the measurement wire and the detection wire are input to the input pen 21. Twist and short circuit. Therefore, the measurement line 14 of the input point
The potential at is passed through the detection line 22 to the connection line 23,
24, that is, terminals 23a and 24a, and by measuring the potentials of these terminals 23a and 24a, the potential of the input point can be measured. The detection line is provided close to the measurement wire at each part,
In addition, the potential is held so that the potential of all the detection lines becomes equal to the potential of the measurement wire at the point where the measurement wire is short-circuited. In this way, by measuring the potentials of the connecting lines 23 and 24, the input position can be extracted as an electrical signal from the potential at a fixed position without measuring the potential at the input point 21 itself.

In addition, for example, the measurement wires 1 ₁ to 1n are 4 mm per 1 mm.
It is formed with a density comparable to that of a book. These measurement wires and detection wires can be formed simultaneously by, for example, a thin metal plate attached to one surface of the insulating substrate 11, and using a chemical etching method in that state. For example, the width of the measurement wire and the width of the detection line are 60 microns,
The distance between the measurement wire and the detection wire, that is, the width of the non-conductor portion, can also be set to about 60 microns. The thickness of these measurement wires and detection wires is, for example, about 35 microns.

In this way, in one dimension, as shown in FIG. 3, only the position in the vertical direction, that is, in the Y-axis direction, is detected, and in order to also detect in the X direction, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, on the insulating substrate 25, Across the entire input surface 15, the measuring wire 2 ₁ in the vertical direction in the figure
~2 m are arranged in close parallel to each other, and the opposite ends of the adjacent ones are alternately connected to each other to form a zigzag measurement line 26, and each measurement wire 2 ₁ to 2
Detection lines 27 are formed with substantially the same length between adjacent ones of m, and connecting lines 28 extend in the arrangement direction approaching both sides of the measurement strands in the direction in which they are arranged. 29, and the detection lines 27 are alternately connected to the connection lines 28 and 29 at one end thereof. Both ends of the measurement line 26 are connected to terminals 31,
32, and connection lines 28 and 29 are connected to terminals 28a and 29a, respectively.

By superimposing these shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the input points can be extracted as position signals in the X direction and the Y direction.

<Example> A cross-sectional view of an example of the tablet of this invention is shown in the fifth example.
As shown in the figure. That is, the measurement wires 1 1 to ₁ are placed on an insulating substrate 11 made of a film having a thickness of about 20 microns, for example.
n is formed in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the figure, and detection lines 22 are formed in parallel between each measurement element wire. That is, they are formed in the state shown in FIG. 3, and in this case, insulating resin separators 33 are formed between each adjacent measurement wire and detection wire, and the height of the separators 33 is Measuring wire 1 ₁ ~ 1n or detection wire 2
2, and the measurement wire and the detection wire are made to have the same height, for example, with a difference of about 6 microns, and the flexible conductive sheet 34 is placed thereon. As the flexible conductive sheet 34, for example, the rubber sheet 3
5 is coated with a conductive paint 36 so that the conductive paint 36 is placed in contact with the separator 33. This flexible conductive sheet 34 is
For example, the thickness is 20 microns. Furthermore, a graph paper 37 such as paper with a thickness of about 1 to 10 microns is placed on top of it, if necessary.

Further, on the opposite surface of this insulating substrate 11, measurement wires 2 ₁ to 2 m are formed. This measurement wire 2 ₁ - 2
m and the measurement wires 1 ₁ to 1 n are assumed to be perpendicular to each other, but in the figure, the portion below the bottom surface of the insulating substrate 11 is shown rotated by 90 degrees for clarity. The measurement wires 2 ₁ to 2 m and the detection wire 27 between them are the fourth
It is formed as shown in the figure, and a separate body 38 of insulating material is formed between each measurement element wire and the detection wire 27, and these are made to protrude slightly from the measurement element wires and the detection wire 27. A flexible conductive sheet 39 is disposed on the separator, and the conductive sheet 39 can be composed of, for example, a rubber sheet 41 and a conductive paint 42 coated on one side of the rubber sheet 41. 42 side is placed in contact with the separator 38 made of resin material. Such a tablet is placed, for example, on a base plate 43 with a slightly rough surface, and is pressed down with the input pen 21 from above, for example, graph paper 37 to input information. Due to this pressing, the flexible conductive sheet 34 comes into contact with the deflection measurement wire 1 and the detection wire 22, and the contact measurement wire 1 and the detection wire 22 are electrically connected to each other via the conductive sheet 34. Connected. Similarly, the measurement wire 2 and the detection wire 27 are electrically connected to each other by the conductive sheet 39. In the illustrated example, for example, the input pen 2
1. If the nib of a 0.3 mm sharp pencil is used, the comma 2 mm portion will press the conductive sheet against multiple measurement wires and detection wires, and these measurement wires will be pressed through the conductive sheet. and the detection line are electrically connected to each other. In this way, a two-dimensional tablet is constructed.

In addition, to make the configuration shown in Figure 5,
For example, copper or the like is coated on both sides of an insulating sheet, and measurement wires and detection lines are formed on both sides by etching, and then liquid resin such as epoxy is applied to both sides. ,
Furthermore, a release paper is placed on top of that, and a roller is used to push liquid resin between the measurement wire and the detection wire, and then the surface is polished to expose each measurement wire and detection wire, that is, the first copper surface. Next, the copper surface is lowered by slight etching, and the resin material pressed into these parts forms separate bodies.

In the above description, the lengths of the measurement wires are the same, and both ends of the wires are connected alternately and sequentially.
Although the electrical output is proportional to the distance between the two, it is also possible to obtain a non-linear output using a certain function. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, measurement wires 1 ₁ to 1n are formed, and the end portions to be connected in sequence are arranged so that the connected portions approach each other toward the center as they approach the bottom from the top in the figure. do. By doing so, it is also possible to obtain an output that is not proportional to the position in the arrangement direction of the measurement wires in the figure but is nonlinear, that is, an output that varies in correspondence with a function. In order to make such a functional change, it is necessary not only to change the length of the measurement wire, but also to partially change the width of the measurement wire, or to partially change the arrangement interval. Also good.

Furthermore, in addition to obtaining two-dimensional outputs in X and Y from the measurement wires, for example, as shown in _FIG . are connected alternately to form a zigzag measurement wire 14, and a voltage is applied to both ends 16 to 17 of the measurement wire 14, and the measurement wires 21 to ₂₁ are connected in the radial direction within this fan-shaped input surface 15.
2 m are successively arranged close to each other in parallel in the radial direction, and their ends are sequentially connected to form a zigzag line. In other words, as shown in this example, as measurement wires, the adjacent ones are They do not have to be exactly parallel. In this way, the input point can also be detected as a polar coordinate signal.

As described above, according to the present invention, the measurement wires are connected in a zigzag pattern and the potential is detected as a divided voltage based on the resistance value of the measurement wires in the arrangement direction. Therefore, higher precision can be achieved easily compared to the case where the resistor is provided with a large number of taps as shown in FIG. Moreover, it is possible to make higher precision products by etching. Further, both sides of the board are configured to be able to detect each one of the two components of the coordinates, and the input position can be detected with a single operation. Since a detection line is used, the resistance value between the input position of the measurement line and the measuring device can be reduced, and detection can be performed with higher accuracy. Further, because of its structure, it is easy to manufacture, suitable for mass production, has a long life, and can have high resolution.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a plan view showing a conventional tablet;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the principle of an example of a tablet according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the relationship between the measurement wire and the detection line of the tablet to be used in conjunction with FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the two-dimensional tablet of the present invention. , FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a tablet in which the detection point changes according to a function, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example of a polar coordinate tablet. 1 ₁ ~ 1n, 2 ₁ ~ 2m: Measuring wire, 14, 2
6: Measurement line, 15: Input surface, 11: Insulating board, 2
2, 27: detection line, 33, 38: separation body, 34,
39: Flexible conductive sheet.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of first measurement wires made of a conductive material,
These first measurement wires are arranged close to each other on one surface of a flexible film-like insulating substrate, and adjacent ones of these first measurement wires are substantially parallel to each other;
The measurement wires are formed to cover at least almost the entire surface of the input surface, and these first measurement wires are successively connected in series so that both ends of adjacent ones are connected alternately to form a zigzag path. The first measurement line is a first measurement line, and both ends of the first measurement line are terminals, and a first detection line extends between each adjacent first measurement line along the measurement line. The first detection wires and the first measurement wires are formed on the insulating substrate with substantially the same length, and the heights of the first detection wires and the first measurement wires with respect to the insulating substrate are substantially the same. The first part of that
every other first detection line is connected to the second connection line, and a first insulating separator is connected between each of the adjacent first measurement wires and the first detection line. The first insulating separators are formed on the insulating substrate, and the height of the first insulating separators relative to the insulating substrate is slightly higher than the height of the first measurement wire, and the first insulating separators cover almost the entire surface of the input surface. A first flexible conductive sheet is disposed on and in contact with the separator, and covers almost the entire area on the input surface and intersects with the first measurement wire when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the input surface. A plurality of second measurement wires made of a conductive material are formed on the other surface of the insulating substrate in close proximity to each other, and adjacent ones of the second measurement wires are substantially parallel to each other. , these second measurement wires are sequentially connected in series to form a zigzag path to form a second measurement wire, and the first detection wire, the first and second connection wires, and the first insulating separator. The second detection line, the third detection line, and
A fourth connection line and a second insulating separator are formed on the other surface of the insulating substrate, and the first detection line, first and second connection lines, and the first insulating separator for the first measurement wire relationship, and the second detection line, the third, and the fourth detection line with respect to the second measurement element line.
The relationship between the connection wire and the second insulating separator is the same, and a second flexible conductive sheet is placed on the second insulating separator, covering almost the entire surface of the input surface, and in contact with the second insulating separator. is arranged, and by pressing the input pen from a direction perpendicular to the first flexible conductive sheet, the first measurement wire and the first detection line in that part are connected to the first flexible conductive sheet. The tablet is short-circuited by a flexible conductive sheet, and the second measurement wire and the second detection wire are short-circuited by a second flexible conductive sheet.