JPH0326852B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a coordinate input device for a screen display device, such as a character or image display terminal, used to specify a cursor (position display point on the screen), etc. be.

[Prior art]

A conventional device of this type is shown in FIG. In the same figure a, 1 is a housing for moving the cursor of a display device by hand on a flat board such as a desk, and 2 is a switch (this switch is not related to the present invention, so the details are omitted). ), 3
is a connection line to a character or image display terminal, etc.

In addition, FIG. 1b shows the structure of FIG. A first rotating shaft fixed at the center, 7 is this first rotating shaft.
A first disk fixed to the rotating shaft 6, 8 is this first disk.
windows 9 and 10 are provided on opposite sides of the first disk 7, respectively, and are a first light-emitting element and a light-receiving element;
A second cylindrical body 15 contacts the rotating ball 4 and is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the first cylindrical body 5;
is fixed to the center of the second cylindrical body 15 and is arranged at right angles to the first rotation axis 6; 17 is a second rotation shaft fixed to the second rotation axis 16;
18 is a window opened in the second disk 17, and 19 and 20 are a second light emitting element and a light receiving element provided on opposite sides of the second disk 17, respectively.

Next, the operation will be explained. When the operator moves the housing 1 on the flat plate by hand, the rotating ball 4 in contact with the flat plate rotates. The first cylindrical body 5 rotates in accordance with the amount of vertical movement of the rotating ball 4. This rotation is caused by the first rotating shaft 6.
Rotate the disc 7. When the first disk 7 rotates, the passage of the light (or infrared rays) emitted from the first light emitting element 9 is controlled by the first disk 7 in which the window 8 is formed, and the first light receiving device A signal corresponding to the rotation of the first disk 7 is obtained from the element 10 .

Similarly, the second cylindrical body 15 rotates according to the amount of movement of the rotating ball 4 in the left and right directions, and this rotation
It is transmitted to the second disk 17 via the rotating shaft 16. Then, in response to the light emitted from the second light emitting element 19 passing through the window 18 of the second disk 17, a signal is obtained from the first light receiving element 20.

Since the conventional input device is configured as described above, each time the present input device is used, the user has to take his/her hand away from another input device, such as a keyboard input device, which results in a lot of hand movement. The drawback was that it was complicated.

[Summary of the invention]

This invention was made in order to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional ones as described above, and it includes a pair of cylindrical rotating bodies that can be rotated by the operator's feet, and the speed and direction of the rotating bodies can be controlled. By converting it into an electrical signal and inputting it to the screen display device,
without taking your hands off the keyboard or other input device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a coordinate input device for a screen display device that can input coordinate information on a screen.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 2a, 21 is a desk on which a character or image display terminal is installed, 22 is a fixed base (supporting means) installed under this desk 21, and 23 is a first rotating shaft supported by this fixed base 22. A shaft 24 is a first cylindrical body fixed to the first rotating shaft 23, and 25 detects the speed and direction of rotation of the first cylindrical body 24 or the first rotating shaft 23, and converts this into an electrical signal. 26 is a second rotating shaft supported by the fixed base 22, 27 is a second cylindrical body fixed to this second rotating shaft 26, and 28 is this second cylindrical body 27 or the second rotating shaft. This is a second conversion circuit that detects the speed and direction of rotation of 26 and converts it into an electrical signal.

An example of the configuration of the first and second conversion circuits 25 and 28 will be explained with reference to FIG. 2b and FIG. 3. Figure 2b
, 30 is a first disk fixed to the first rotating shaft 23, 31 is a window provided inside the outer periphery of this first disk 30, and 32 and 33 are opposed to each other on both sides of the first disk 30. 34 is a second disk fixed to the second rotating shaft 26; 35 is a window provided inside the outer periphery of the second disk 30; 36, 37; is the second disk 3
A second light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are shown facing each other on both sides of 4.

In addition, in FIG. 3a, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 45 is a luminous flux A from a light emitting element A (not shown) to a light receiving element A (not shown), and 46 is a light flux from a light emitting element B (not shown). is the luminous flux B to the light receiving element B (not shown). Further, in figures b and c, 47 is a signal representing a change in the light flux A entering the light receiving element A, and 48 is a signal representing a change in the light flux B entering the light receiving element B.

Next, the operation will be explained.

The operator places his right foot on the first cylindrical body 24 and his left foot on the second cylindrical body 27, and independently rotates them back and forth with the soles of his feet as needed. Then, the light flux emitted from the first light emitting element 32 or the second light emitting element 36 is directed to the first disk 30 or the second disk 34, respectively.
enters the first light receiving element 33 or the second light receiving element 36 through the windows 31 and 35, whereby the rotational speed of the rotating body is converted into an electrical signal, and the cursor on the screen is moved at a speed corresponding to the rotational speed. will be moved.

Regarding the detection of the rotational direction, the phase difference when the light beams A and B aligned on the center line pass through the windows A and B, respectively, in FIG. 3 is used.

That is, when the disk 30 rotates clockwise, the luminous flux B first passes through the window B, and then the luminous flux A passes through the window A at a point whose phase is delayed by 90 degrees. Therefore, the output of the light-receiving element that receives the luminous flux A and the output of the light-receiving element that receives the luminous flux B are as shown in FIG. 3b. Similarly,
When the disk 30 rotates counterclockwise, the result is shown in Fig. 3c.
The signal output will have the phase shown in . Therefore, the rotational direction of the rotating body can be determined by this, and the cursor will move back and forth and left and right accordingly.

In this embodiment of the device, the first and second cylindrical bodies are rotated by the operator's feet, thereby creating a signal for moving the cursor. The cursor can be moved without releasing the cursor, which is very convenient when operating a personal computer or the like.

In addition, although in the above-described embodiment, the rotating shaft is provided on the fixed base, the rotating shaft may be supported by a part of the desk on which the terminal is installed. Furthermore, the two rotation axes may be installed at right angles to each other.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the cylindrical body is fixed to the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft and the cylindrical body rotate at the same time. You can do it like this.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, two sets of coordinate input devices are provided to move the cursor vertically and horizontally, but the number of coordinate input devices is not limited to this. For example, when viewing a program list, In such cases, only one set of devices for moving the cursor up and down is sufficient, and when used for coordinate indication in three-dimensional image display, etc., three sets of devices may be provided.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, in an input device for specifying coordinates of a screen display device, a cylindrical rotating body that can be rotated by an operator's foot is provided, and the rotational speed of the rotating body and its Since the direction is converted into an electrical signal and inputted to the screen display device, the operator can move the cursor without taking his hands off other input devices such as the keyboard.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1a is a diagram showing a coordinate input device of a conventional screen display device, Figure 1b is its schematic configuration diagram, and Figure 2a is a diagram showing the coordinate input device of a conventional screen display device.
is an external view of a coordinate input device of a screen display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2b is a schematic configuration diagram thereof,
FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c are diagrams for explaining the operation of the conversion circuit used in the device. 21... desk, 22... fixed stand (supporting means), 2
3, 26... Rotating shaft, 24, 27... Cylindrical body (rotating body), 25, 28... Conversion circuit, 30, 34...
... Disc, 31, 35... Window, 32, 36... Light emitting element, 33, 37... Light receiving element. In the figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An input device for inputting coordinate information on a screen in a screen display device, which comprises: a cylindrical rotating body rotated by an operator's foot; supporting means for supporting the rotating body; A coordinate input device for a screen display device, comprising: a pair of coordinate input means each comprising a conversion means for converting the speed and direction of rotation of the rotating body into electrical signals. 2. The coordinate input device for a screen display device according to claim 1, wherein the support means is fixedly provided to a part of the desk on which the screen display device is installed. 3. The conversion means comprises a disk that rotates together with the rotating body and has a window on its outer periphery, and a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element that are provided facing each other so as to sandwich the outer periphery of the disk. A coordinate input device for a screen display device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: