Refill and electronic pen

Abstract

The invention provides a pen core and an electronic pen, which can realize dust prevention and water prevention of the pen core accommodated in a pen body. A refill for an electronic pen, which is used by being housed in a pen body, which is a case of the electronic pen, includes: first and second inner electrodes disposed on an inner surface of a refill body, which is a case of the refill; a signal source that supplies a signal to the first inner electrode; and a signal detector that detects a signal occurring at the second inner electrode. The first inner side electrode is capacitively coupled with a first outer side electrode arranged in the pen body, the second inner side electrode is capacitively coupled with a second outer side electrode arranged in the pen body, and a first signal regulator is arranged between the first outer side electrode and the second outer side electrode. The first signal conditioner is configured so as to be able to adjust the amount of a signal flowing between the first outer electrode and the second outer electrode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a refill and an electronic pen, and more particularly to a refill used by being housed in a housing of an electronic pen and the electronic pen. Background Art

[0002] As an example of an electronic pen used to input information for indicating its own coordinate position to a position detection device, there is known an electronic pen configured to be able to replace a refill (cartridge) in the same manner as a commercially available ballpoint pen. Various circuits required to implement the functions of the electronic pen are arranged inside the refill. Hereinafter, the housing of the electronic pen is referred to as a "pen body", and the housing of the refill is referred to as a "refill body". The refill body is sized to be housed inside the pen body. An example of such an electronic pen is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2017 / 043214 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In the refill of the electronic pen in the above-described background art, in order to achieve electrical connection between a side switch disposed on the side surface of the pen body and a circuit disposed inside the refill, a terminal penetrating the refill body is provided. Thus, in the electronic pen of the background art, there are the following problems: when foreign substances such as water and dust flow into the space between the pen body and the refill body, the foreign substances also flow into the inside of the refill through the gap generated between the terminal and the refill body.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a refill and an electronic pen that achieve dustproof and waterproof properties of a refill housed inside a pen body.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The refill of the present invention is a refill for an electronic pen used by being housed in a housing of an electronic pen, i.e., a pen body, and includes: first and second inner electrodes disposed on an inner surface of a housing of the refill, i.e., a refill body; a signal source that supplies a signal to the first inner electrode; and a signal detector that detects a signal that appears on the second inner electrode, wherein the first inner electrode is capacitively coupled to a first outer electrode disposed inside the pen body, the second inner electrode is capacitively coupled to a second outer electrode disposed inside the pen body, and a first signal regulator is provided between the first outer electrode and the second outer electrode, and the first signal regulator is configured to be able to adjust the amount of a signal flowing between the first outer electrode and the second outer electrode.

[0011] The electronic pen of the present invention includes a housing of the electronic pen, i.e., a pen body, and a refill used while being accommodated in the pen body. Among them, the refill includes: first and second inner electrodes disposed on an inner surface of a housing of the refill, i.e., a refill body; a signal source that supplies a signal to the first inner electrode; and a signal detector that detects a signal appearing at the second inner electrode. The electronic pen includes: a first outer electrode that capacitively couples with the first inner electrode; a second outer electrode that capacitively couples with the second inner electrode; and a first signal regulator having one end connected to the first outer electrode and the other end connected to the second outer electrode, and adjusting an amount of a signal flowing between the first outer electrode and the second outer electrode.

[0012] Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve dust-proof and waterproof properties of the refill accommodated inside the pen body. Description of the Drawings

[0014] Figure 1 (a) to (c) of are diagrams showing the electronic pen 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a circuit disposed inside the refill 3.

[0016] Figure 3 is a diagram obtained by adding functional blocks inside the IC 38 to a diagram showing a part of the structure of the electronic pen 1 extracted.

[0017] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a pulse signal P supplied from the signal source 40 to the inner electrode 32a and a current A detected by the signal detector 41.

[0018] Figure 5 is a diagram obtained by adding functional blocks inside the IC 38 to a diagram showing a part of the structure of the electronic pen 1 of the first modification of the first embodiment of the present invention extracted.

[0019] Figure 6 is a diagram obtained by adding functional blocks inside the IC 38 to a diagram showing a part of the structure of the electronic pen 1 of the second modification of the first embodiment of the present invention extracted.

[0020] Figure 7 is a diagram showing a pulse signal P supplied from the signal source 40 to the inner electrode 32a and a current A detected by the signal detector 41 in the second modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 8This is a diagram obtained by adding the functional blocks within IC38 to a diagram showing a part of the structure of the electronic pen 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Embodiment

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 Figures (a) to (c) show the electronic pen 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in these figures, the electronic pen 1 is configured to have a tapping bar 10, a rotating member 11, a cam body 12, a return spring stopper 13, a return spring 14, outer electrodes 20a, 20b, a switch 21, and a refill 3 inside or on the surface of a housing, i.e., a pen body 2. The refill 3 is a rod-shaped member configured to be accommodated inside the pen body 2, and is configured to have a refill body 30, a nib 31, and inner electrodes 32a, 32b.

[0024] The tapping bar 10, the rotating member 11, the cam body 12, the return spring stopper 13, and the return spring 14 are structures for implementing the tapping function. It should be noted that these structures have a three-dimensional configuration, but in Figure 1 Figures (a) to (c), they are illustrated using schematic plan views for explaining the functions.

[0025] The tapping bar 10 is a rod-shaped member whose front end (the end on the nib side. The same applies hereinafter) is ridge-cut. The rear end (the end on the pen tail side. The same applies hereinafter) of the tapping bar 10 protrudes from the rear end of the pen body 2. The rotating member 11 is a rod-shaped member having a plurality of protrusions 11a at the rear end. The rotating member 11 is configured to be rotatable about the pen axis, and its front end is fixed to the rear end of the refill body 30. The plurality of protrusions 11a are arranged at equal intervals around the pen axis.

[0026] The cam body 12 is a cylindrical member having a structure in which two types of grooves 12a, 12b with different depths are alternately formed. The grooves 12a, 12b are also arranged at equal intervals around the pen axis. The bottom surface of the relatively shallow groove 12b is formed in a conical shape. The cam body 12 is configured not to move in the pen axis direction and not to rotate around the pen axis by a stopper (not shown). The tapping bar 10 is inserted into the inside of the cam body 12 from the rear end side.

[0027] The return spring stopper 13 is a doughnut-shaped member fixed to the pen body 2. The return spring 14 is an elastic body arranged such that one end abuts against the rear end of the return spring stopper 13 and the other end abuts against the front end of the rotating member 11. Thus, the return spring 14 has the effect of applying a force to the rotating member 11 toward the pen tail side. The refill body 30 is inserted into the inside of the return spring stopper 13 and the return spring 14.

[0028] The tapping rod 10 and the rotating member 11 are configured to be movable along the pen axis direction. However, the movement range of the tapping rod 10 toward the pen tail side is restricted by the pen body 2, and the movement range of the rotating member 11 toward the pen tip side is restricted by the return spring 14. In addition, the rotating member 11 is configured to be rotatable about the pen axis.

[0029] Figure 1 (a) to (c) of respectively show the states of the electronic pen 1 generated by the user pressing the tapping rod 10. First, Figure 1 (a) is the initial state, the protrusion 11a of the rotating member 11 is fitted into the relatively deep groove 12a of the cam body 12, and abuts against the ridge at the front end of the tapping rod 10.

[0030] If in Figure 1 the state of (a), the user presses the tapping rod 10 toward the pen tip side, the front end of the tapping rod 10 moves toward the pen tip side, and the rotating member 11 is also pressed by the front end of the moving tapping rod 10 and moves toward the pen tip side. Figure 1 (b) of shows the state after the tapping rod 10 and the rotating member 11 move toward the pen tip side like this. If it becomes the state where the protrusion 11a of the rotating member 11 completely exits the groove 12a as in Figure 1 (b), the protrusion 11a that is urged toward the pen tail side by the return spring 14 slides on the ridge of the tapping rod 10, and along with this, the rotating member 11 rotates about the pen axis. After that, if the user stops pressing the tapping rod 10, the rotating member 11 tends to move toward the pen tail side by the acting force of the return spring 14, but as a result of the rotation of the rotating member 11, the protrusion 11a of the rotating member 11 sinks into the groove 12b adjacent to the original groove 12a in the rotation direction of the rotating member 11 instead of the original groove 12a. Since the groove 12b is shallower than the groove 12a, the movement of the rotating member 11 stops at a position closer to the pen tip side than Figure 1 (a). (c) of shows the state after the rotating member 11 stops like this. After that, if the user presses the tapping rod 10 toward the pen tip side again, through the same operation as above, this time the protrusion 11a of the rotating member 11 sinks into the groove 12a and returns to the Figure 1 initial state of (a). Figure 1 Here, as described above, the rotating member 11 is fixed to the rear end of the refill body 30. Therefore, along with the movement of the rotating member 11 in the pen axis direction, the refill body 30 also moves in the pen axis direction. The movement range of the rotating member 11 in the pen axis direction and the length of the refill body 30 in the pen axis direction are such that in

[0031] the initial state of (a), the pen tip 31 is completely housed in the pen body 2 and in Figure 1 (a) and in Figure 1The way the nib 31 protrudes from the front end of the pen body 2 in the state of (c) is adjusted in advance. When the nib 31 protrudes from the front end of the pen body 2, the user can perform writing with the electronic pen 1. Therefore, by repeatedly pressing the tapping rod 10, the user can switch between the state where writing with the electronic pen 1 is possible and the state where the nib 31 is completely housed inside the pen body 2.

[0032] The electronic pen 1 is configured to be able to replace the refill 3. For this purpose, the tapping rod 10, the rotating member 11, and the cam body 12 are configured to be detachable from the pen body 2. When replacing the refill 3, the user first detaches the tapping rod 10, the rotating member 11, and the cam body 12 from the pen body 2, and then takes out the refill 3 from the rear end of the pen body 2. Next, the user inserts a new refill 3 from the rear end of the pen body 2, and then installs the tapping rod 10, the rotating member 11, and the cam body 12 onto the pen body 2, thereby replacing the refill 3.

[0033] The outer electrodes 20a, 20b, the switch 21, the inner electrodes 32a, 32b are structures for setting a switch that supports on / off operation by the user on the side surface of the electronic pen 1. The outer electrodes 20a, 20b and the switch 21 are fixed to the pen body 2, and the inner electrodes 32a, 32b are fixed to the refill body 30.

[0034] The switch 21 is a single-pole single-throw switch with one end connected to the outer electrode 20a and the other end connected to the outer electrode 20b. The switch 21 is configured to be able to be turned on and off from the outside of the pen body 2. Thus, by performing the on / off operation of the switch 21, the user can switch the conduction / non-conduction between the outer electrode 20a and the outer electrode 20b. As will be described in detail later, the switch 21, together with the capacitor formed by the inner electrode 32a and the outer electrode 20a and the capacitor formed by the outer electrode 20b and the inner electrode 32b, constitutes a signal path for the signal output from the signal source 40 described later. And, in the sense that the switch 21 allows the signal to pass through the signal path when it is turned on and does not allow the signal to pass through the signal path when it is turned off, it is a signal regulator that adjusts the amount of the signal flowing in the signal path.

[0035] As described above, the refill 3 is configured to move in the pen axis direction in accordance with the pressing operation of the tapping rod 10 by the user. The outer electrodes 20a, 20b and the inner electrodes 32a, 32b are in a state where the refill 3 is Figure 1In the case of the position (writing position) shown in (c) thereof, the outer electrodes 20a and the inner electrodes 32a are arranged to face each other with the refill body 30 therebetween, and the outer electrodes 20b and the inner electrodes 32b are arranged to face each other with the refill body 30 therebetween. The refill body 30 is made of a dielectric, and the mutually facing outer electrodes 20a and inner electrodes 32a perform capacitive coupling with the refill body 30 as the dielectric between the electrodes. The same applies to the outer electrodes 20b and the inner electrodes 32b. Due to the existence of this capacitive coupling, in the electronic pen 1, even without providing a terminal penetrating the refill body 30, the on / off state of the switch 21 can be transmitted to the circuit inside the refill 3. Hereinafter, regarding this point, while referring to the circuit Figure 1 inside the refill 3, it will be described in detail.

[0036] Figure 2 FIG. is a diagram showing the circuit arranged inside the refill 3. In this figure, the outer electrodes 20a, 20b and the switch 21 are also illustrated. In this figure, an example is described in which the electronic pen 1 communicates with the sensor controller inside the position detection device by the electromagnetic induction method (EMR method), but the present invention can also be suitably applied to other types of electronic pens 1 such as the active electrostatic method.

[0037] As Figure 2 shown, the refill 3 is configured to further include a coil 33, a capacitor 34, a variable capacitance capacitor 35, a capacitor 36, a switch 37 and an IC 38 in addition to the above-described refill body 30, the tip 31 and the inner electrodes 32a, 32b.

[0038] The coil 33 and the capacitor 34 are connected in series to form an LC resonance circuit. The variable capacitance capacitor 35, the capacitor 36 and the IC 38 are connected in parallel with respect to the capacitor 34. The switch 37 is a single-pole single-throw switch and is connected in series with the capacitor 36. The variable capacitance capacitor 35 functions to change the resonance frequency of the LC resonance circuit. The capacitor 36 functions to change the resonance frequency of the LC resonance circuit when the switch 37 is turned on.

[0039] When the coil 33 enters the alternating magnetic field sent out from the sensor in the touch surface of the position detection device (not shown), an electromotive force is generated at both ends of the coil 33. This electromotive force charges the capacitor 34, and charges are accumulated in the capacitor 34. In addition, the IC 38 is configured to operate using this electromotive force as the operating power. When the alternating magnetic field sent out from the sensor of the position detection device stops, an alternating magnetic field is sent out from the coil 33 by the charges accumulated in the capacitor 34. The sensor controller inside the position detection device detects the position of the electronic pen 1 in the touch surface by detecting this alternating magnetic field.

[0040] Here, the variable capacitance capacitor 35 is configured such that its capacitance varies according to the pressure (pen pressure) applied to the pen tip 31. In addition, the switch 37 functions to switch between a state in which the capacitor 36 is connected to the LC resonance circuit formed by the coil 33 and the capacitor 34 and a state in which the capacitor 36 is not connected, according to the on / off state of the switch 21 (details of this will be described later). Therefore, the resonance frequency of the LC resonance circuit varies according to the pen pressure and the on / off state of the switch 21. The sensor controller in the position detection device is configured to obtain the pen pressure and the on / off state of the switch 21 by detecting changes in the frequency of the detected alternating magnetic field.

[0041] The IC 38 is an integrated circuit for implementing various functions of the electronic pen 1. The functions implemented by the IC 38 include detecting the on / off state of the switch 21 and controlling the switch 37 based on the result. Hereinafter, the details of this function will be described while referring to the functional block diagram of the IC 38.

[0042] Figure 3 FIG. is a diagram obtained by adding the functional blocks in the IC 38 to a diagram showing a part of the structure of the electronic pen 1. As shown in this figure, the IC 38 is functionally configured to include a signal source 40, a signal detector 41, and a signal processing unit 42.

[0043] The signal source 40 is an oscillator configured to be able to generate a signal including an AC component, and is configured to supply the generated signal to the inner electrode 32a. The specific content of the signal including the AC component is not limited, but hereinafter, it is assumed to be a rectangular pulse signal and the description will continue. The signal detector 41 is a detector configured to be able to detect the signal appearing at the inner electrode 32b. The specific type of the signal detector 41 is also not limited, but hereinafter, it is assumed to be a galvanometer configured to be able to detect current and the description will continue.

[0044] The signal processing unit 42 is a processor that implements various functions of the electronic pen 1 by executing a program stored in a memory (not shown). The signal processing unit 42 in the present embodiment functions as follows: causing the signal source 40 to generate a signal including an AC component, obtaining the detection result of the signal generated as a result from the signal detector 41, and controlling the on / off of the switch 37 based on the result.

[0045] Figure 4 FIG. is a diagram showing the pulse signal P supplied from the signal source 40 to the inner electrode 32a and the current A detected by the signal detector 41. Figure 4 (a) of FIG. shows the case where the switch 21 is on, Figure 4 (b) of FIG. shows the case where the switch 21 is off.

[0046] In Figure 4In the example, time t1 and time t2 correspond to the rising and falling of the pulse signal P, respectively. When the switch 21 is on, a signal path is formed through the capacitor formed by the inner electrode 32a and the outer electrode 20a, the switch 21, and the capacitor formed by the outer electrode 20b and the inner electrode 32b. Therefore, according to the rising and falling of the pulse signal P, the current is as follows in a short time until the charging or discharging of the two capacitors is completed. Figure 4 On the other hand, when the switch 21 is off, the above-mentioned signal path is not formed, so as shown in (a) of FIG. Figure 4 As shown in (b), no current corresponding to the rise and fall of the pulse signal P flows.

[0047] The signal processing unit 42 is based on whether the signal detector 41 detects the pulse signal after the signal source 40 generates the pulse signal. Figure 4 The on-off state of the switch 21 is detected by the current A shown in (a), and the on-off state of the switch 37 is controlled according to the result. Figure 4 In the case of the current A shown in (a), the switch 21 is detected to be on, and the switch 37 is controlled to be on in response to this. Figure 4 In the case of the current A shown in (a), it is detected that the switch 21 is off, and the switch 37 is controlled to be off according to this. By doing so, the on-off state of the switch 21 can be reflected in the resonant frequency of the LC resonant circuit and thus transmitted to the sensor controller.

[0048] As described above, the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment utilizes capacitive coupling between the inner electrodes 32a, 32b and the outer electrodes 20a, 20b to transmit the on / off state of the switch 21 to the signal processing unit 42 within the refill 3. Furthermore, the signal processing unit 42 can reflect the transmitted on / off state of the switch 21 to the resonant frequency of the LC resonant circuit. This allows side switching without requiring terminals extending through the refill body 30. Consequently, the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment ensures that the refill 3 housed within the pen body 2 is dustproof and waterproof.

[0049] Figure 5 This figure is a diagram obtained by extracting a portion of the structure of the electronic pen 1 according to the first modified example of this embodiment and adding the functional blocks within the IC 38. Figure 3 As can be understood from the comparison, the electronic pen 1 of this modification example differs from the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment in that a comparator is used instead of an ammeter as the signal detector 41 .

[0050] The signal detector 41 for the comparator is a circuit having a non-inverting input terminal, an inverting input terminal, and an output terminal. When the potential difference between the non-inverting input terminal and the inverting input terminal is less than a specified value, "0" is output from the output terminal, and when the potential difference between the non-inverting input terminal and the inverting input terminal is equal to or greater than the specified value, "1" is output from the output terminal. As Figure 5 shown, the non-inverting input terminal of the signal detector 41 is connected to the inner electrode 32b, the inverting input terminal is connected to the signal source 40, and the output terminal is connected to the signal processing unit 42.

[0051] When the switch 21 is off, the above signal path is not formed. Therefore, even if the signal source 40 outputs a pulse signal, the voltage at the non-inverting input terminal of the signal detector 41 remains low and does not change. As a result, the output of the signal detector 41 becomes 1 during the period when the signal source 40 outputs a pulse signal and becomes 0 otherwise. On the other hand, when the switch 21 is on, the above signal path is formed. Therefore, the voltage at the non-inverting input terminal of the signal detector 41 temporarily increases in the positive direction due to the rise of the pulse signal and then gradually decreases, and temporarily increases in the negative direction due to the fall of the pulse signal and then gradually decreases. As a result, the output of the signal detector 41 becomes 1 slightly later than the rise of the pulse signal and returns to 0 slightly later than the fall of the pulse signal. The signal processing unit 42 of this modified example detects the on / off state of the switch 21 by detecting such a difference in the output of the signal detector 41 caused by the state of the switch 21. The processing after detecting the on / off state of the switch 21 (i.e., the control of the switch 37) is the same as that of this embodiment.

[0052] As described above, with the electronic pen 1 of this modified example, it is also possible to transmit the on / off state of the switch 21 to the signal processing unit 42 in the pen core 3 by means of capacitive coupling between the inner electrodes 32a, 32b and the outer electrodes 20a, 20b. And the signal processing unit 42 can reflect the transmitted on / off state of the switch 21 on the resonance frequency of the LC resonance circuit. Therefore, it is possible to implement a side switch even without providing a terminal penetrating the pen core body 30. Thus, according to the electronic pen 1 of this modified example, it is possible to achieve the dustproofness and waterproofness of the pen core 3 housed inside the pen body 2.

[0053] It should be noted that in this embodiment, an example of using a galvanometer as the signal detector 41 has been described, and in this modified example, an example of using a comparator as the signal detector 41 has been described. However, as long as it is a device that can detect that the signal supplied by the signal source 40 to the inner electrode 32a has reached the inner electrode 32b, any device other than a galvanometer and a comparator can be used as the signal detector 41. If an example is given, a voltmeter, an oscilloscope, etc. can be used as the signal detector 41.

[0054] Figure 6 This is a diagram obtained by adding the functional blocks in the IC38 to a diagram showing a part of the structure of the electronic pen 1 according to the second modification of the present embodiment. By comparing this diagram with Figure 3 it can be understood that the electronic pen 1 of this modification is different from the electronic pen 1 of the present embodiment in that a variable resistor 22 is used instead of the switch 21 and a variable capacitance capacitor 39 is used instead of the series circuit of the capacitor 36 and the switch 37.

[0055] The variable resistor 22 is an electronic component configured to be able to change the resistance value in multiple steps by the operation of the user. In this modification, it is the variable resistor 22 rather than the switch 21 that constitutes the side switch of the electronic pen 1. In this case, the side switch becomes a volume switch configured to be able to switch states in multiple steps. Similar to the switch 21, the variable resistor 22, together with the capacitors formed by the inner electrode 32a and the outer electrode 20a and the capacitors formed by the outer electrode 20b and the inner electrode 32b, constitutes the signal path of the signal output from the signal source 40 and functions as a signal regulator for adjusting the amount of the signal flowing in this signal path using its resistance value.

[0056] The variable capacitance capacitor 39 is an electronic component configured to be able to change the capacitance value in multiple steps under the control of the signal processing unit 42. The number of stages of the variable capacitance capacitor 39 is preferably the same as or more than the number of stages of the variable resistor 22. The signal processing unit 42 is configured to pre-store the corresponding stage (capacitance value stage) of the variable capacitance capacitor 39 for each stage (resistance value step) of the variable resistor 22.

[0057] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the pulse signal P supplied from the signal source 40 to the inner electrode 32a and the current A detected by the signal detector 41 in this modification. Figure 7 In (a) of Figure 7 [ it shows the case where the resistance value of the variable resistor 22 is smaller than that of Figure 7 In (b) of Figure 7 it shows the case where the resistance value of the variable resistor 22 is smaller than that of Figure 7 In (c) of From these diagrams, it can be understood that the smaller the resistance value of the variable resistor 22, the larger the maximum value of the current A detected by the signal detector 41. Therefore, the signal processing unit 42 of the present embodiment obtains the maximum value of the current A detected by the signal detector 41 and determines the current stage of the variable capacitance capacitor 39 based on the obtained value. And it obtains the stage of the variable capacitance capacitor 39 stored corresponding to the determined current stage of the variable capacitance capacitor 39 and controls the capacitance value of the variable capacitance capacitor 39 so as to be the capacitance value represented by the obtained stage. Thus, the resistance value of the variable resistor 22 can be reflected in the resonance frequency of the LC resonance circuit and transmitted to the sensor controller.

[0058] As described above, according to the electronic pen 1 of this modification example, the resistance value of the variable resistor 22 can be transmitted to the signal processing unit 42 in the pen tip 3 by the capacitance coupling between the inner electrodes 32a and 32b and the outer electrodes 20a and 20b. And the signal processing unit 42 can reflect the transmitted resistance value of the variable resistor 22 to the resonance frequency of the LC resonance circuit. Therefore, even if a terminal penetrating the pen tip body 30 is not provided, a side switch that serves as a volume switch can be realized. Thus, according to the electronic pen 1 of this modification example, when the volume switch is used as the side switch, the dustproof and waterproof properties of the pen tip 3 housed inside the pen body 2 can also be achieved.

[0059] Figure 8 FIG. is a diagram obtained by adding the function blocks in the IC 38 to a diagram showing a part of the structure of the electronic pen 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. By comparing this diagram with Figure 5 it can be understood that the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment is different from the electronic pen 1 of the first modification example of the first embodiment in that it further has outer electrodes 20c, a switch 23, inner electrodes 32c, a capacitor 50, a switch 51, and a switch 43. In other respects, it is the same as the electronic pen 1 of the first modification example of the first embodiment. Therefore, hereinafter, the description will continue focusing on the differences from the electronic pen 1 of the first modification example of the first embodiment.

[0060] The outer electrode 20c, like the outer electrodes 20a and 20b, is an electrode fixed to the pen body 2. The switch 23 is a single-pole single-throw switch having one end connected to the outer electrode 20a and the other end connected to the outer electrode 20c. The switch 23 is configured to be able to be turned on and off from the outside of the pen body 2 in the same manner as the switch 21. In this embodiment, the switches 21 and 23 respectively constitute the side switches of the electronic pen 1. The inner electrode 32c, like the inner electrodes 32a and 32b, is an electrode fixed to the pen tip body 30.

[0061] The outer electrode 20c and the inner electrode 32c are arranged such that when the pen tip 3 is in the Figure 1 position shown in (c), the outer electrode 20c and the inner electrode 32c sandwich the pen tip body 30 and face each other. In addition, the mutually facing outer electrode 20c and inner electrode 32c perform capacitance coupling with the pen tip body 30 as the dielectric between the electrodes.

[0062] The capacitor 50, like the capacitor 36, is connected in parallel with the Figure 2 shown capacitor 34. The switch 51 is a single-pole single-throw switch and is connected in series with the capacitor 50. The capacitor 50 functions to change the value determined by Figure 2The function of the resonance frequency of the LC resonance circuit composed of the coil 33 and the capacitor 34 shown. It should be noted that the capacitance values of the capacitor 36 and the capacitor 50 are preferably different from each other.

[0063] The switch 43 is a single-pole double-throw switch installed in the IC 38, and is configured to have a selection terminal connected to the inner electrode 32b, a selection terminal connected to the inner electrode 32c, and a common terminal connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the signal detector 41 which is a comparator. The on / off state of the switch 43 is controlled by the signal processing unit 42.

[0064] The signal processing unit 42 of the present embodiment performs the following processing on the switches 21 and 23 respectively in a time-division manner: causing the signal source 40 to generate a signal including an AC component, obtaining the detection result of the signal generated as a result from the signal detector 41, and controlling the resonance frequency of the LC resonance circuit according to the result. Specifically, the signal processing unit 42 first switches the switch 43 to the inner electrode 32b side. In this state, the signal source 40 is caused to output a pulse signal P, and the current A detected by the signal detector 41 is obtained. Then, based on the obtained current A, the on / off state of the switch 21 is detected, and based on the result, the on / off state of the switch 37 is controlled. Next, the signal processing unit 42 switches the switch 43 to the inner electrode 32c side. In this state, the signal source 40 is caused to output a pulse signal P, and the current A detected by the signal detector 41 is obtained. Then, based on the obtained current A, the on / off state of the switch 23 is detected, and based on the result, the on / off state of the switch 51 is controlled. The signal processing unit 42 performs the above-described time-division processing by repeatedly executing the above processing.

[0065] As described above, according to the electronic pen 1 of the present embodiment, the on / off states of the switches 21 and 23 can be transmitted to the signal processing unit 42 in the pen core 3 by the capacitive coupling between the inner electrodes 32a to 32c and the outer electrodes 20a to 20c. And the signal processing unit 42 can reflect the on / off states of the transmitted switches 21 and 23 on the resonance frequency of the LC resonance circuit. Therefore, even if no terminal penetrating the pen core body 30 is provided, a plurality of side switches can be realized. Therefore, according to the electronic pen 1 of this modification example, when a plurality of side switches are used, the dustproofness and waterproofness of the pen core 3 housed inside the pen body 2 can also be realized.

[0066] It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the case where a comparator is used as the signal detector 41 has been described as an example. However, as also described in the first embodiment, the signal detector 41 may be a device other than a comparator as long as it can detect that the signal supplied to the inner electrode 32a has reached the inner electrodes 32b and 32c. Examples of such a device include a galvanometer, a voltmeter, an oscilloscope, etc.

[0067] Above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is in no way limited to such embodiments, and the present invention can of course be implemented in various ways without departing from its gist.

[0068] Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0069] 1 Electronic pen

[0070] 2 Pen body

[0071] 3 Refill

[0072] 10 Tapping rod

[0073] 11 Rotating member

[0074] 11a Protrusion

[0075] 12 Cam body

[0076] 12a, 12b Grooves

[0077] 13 Spring stopper for reset

[0078] 14 Reset spring

[0079] 20a~20c Outer electrodes

[0080] 21, 23, 37, 43, 51 Switches

[0081] 22 Variable resistor

[0082] 30 Refill body

[0083] 31 Nib

[0084] 32a~32c Inner electrodes

[0085] 33 Coil

[0086] 34, 36, 50 Capacitors

[0087] 35, 39 Variable capacitors

[0088] 38 IC

[0089] 40 Signal source

[0090] 41 Signal detector

[0091] 42 Signal processing unit.

Claims

1. A refill is an electronic pen refill used by being housed in a housing of an electronic pen, i.e., a pen body, wherein, Comprising: A first and a second inner electrode disposed on the inner surface of the housing of the refill, i.e., the refill body; A signal source for supplying a signal to the first inner electrode; and A signal detector for detecting a signal appearing at the second inner electrode, The first inner electrode is capacitively coupled to a first outer electrode disposed within the pen body, The second inner electrode is capacitively coupled to a second outer electrode disposed within the pen body, A first signal regulator is provided between the first outer electrode and the second outer electrode, and the first signal regulator is configured to be able to adjust the amount of the signal flowing between the first outer electrode and the second outer electrode.

2. The refill according to claim 1, The signal source sends out a signal containing an AC component.

3. The refill according to claim 1, The refill body is configured to include a dielectric.

4. The refill according to claim 1, The first signal regulator is a switch provided between the first outer electrode and the second outer electrode.

5. The refill according to claim 1, The first signal regulator is a variable resistor provided between the first outer electrode and the second outer electrode.

6. The refill according to claim 1, The first signal regulator is configured to be operable from the outside of the pen body.

7. The refill according to claim 1, The refill further includes a third inner electrode disposed on the inner surface of the refill body, The third inner electrode is capacitively coupled to a third outer electrode disposed within the pen body, A second signal regulator is provided between the first outer electrode and the third outer electrode, and the second signal regulator is configured to be able to adjust the amount of the signal flowing between the first outer electrode and the third outer electrode, The signal detector also detects a signal appearing at the third inner electrode.

8. An electronic pen, comprising: The housing of the electronic pen, i.e., the pen body; and A refill used while being housed in the pen body, Among them, The refill includes: A first and a second inner electrode disposed on the inner surface of the housing of the refill, i.e., the refill body; A signal source for supplying a signal to the first inner electrode; and A signal detector for detecting a signal appearing at the second inner electrode, The electronic pen includes: A first outer electrode capacitively coupled to the first inner electrode; A second outer electrode capacitively coupled to the second inner electrode; and A first signal regulator having one end connected to the first outer electrode and the other end connected to the second outer electrode, and adjusting the amount of the signal flowing between the first outer electrode and the second outer electrode.

9. The electronic pen according to claim 8, The first and second outer electrodes and the first and second inner electrodes are arranged such that when the refill is in the writing position by the knocking function of the electronic pen, the first outer electrode and the second inner electrode face each other with the refill body therebetween and the second outer electrode and the second inner electrode face each other with the refill body therebetween.

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