Display system

Abstract

To provide a display system capable of displaying a window at an arbitrary position within a display screen desired by a user.SOLUTION: A display system includes: a position indicating device; and an information processing device that includes a sensor for detecting a position indicated by the position indicating device, and a display screen. The position indicating device includes: an interaction unit which is provided in a casing, and which executes an interaction of a signal with the information processing device; and a latching member to latch the casing with the display screen of the information processing device. The information processing device includes: a position detecting circuit that detects, based on the interaction between the sensor and the interaction unit of the position indicating device, a position indicated by the position indicating device in a state where it is latched with the display screen by the latching member; and a control circuit that executes a control so as to display a predetermined display image in the display screen with reference to the position indicated by the position indicating device and detected by the position detecting circuit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a display system including a position indicating device and an information processing device having a display unit and a sensor for detecting a position indicated by the position indicating device, and also to a position indicating device constituting the display system. [Background technology]

[0002] In an information processing device such as a personal computer, generally, one or more application programs (hereinafter, simply referred to as apps) are stored in memory, and when an operation is performed to launch an app, a window for the launched app is displayed on the display screen, and processing information by the app is displayed within the window area.

[0003] In this case, the display position, size, etc. of the window for the application can be changed by operating a pointing device such as a mouse. Usually, the window position on the display screen when the application is terminated and closed is stored, and the next time the application is started, the window is opened in the stored position.

[0004] In addition, among this type of information processing device, there is also provided one that is configured to display a window at a display position specified by display position specification information from another information processing device (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2019-83023 A)). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-83023 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In such a display system, it would be extremely convenient if the user could display a window at any desired position on the display screen. What is even better is if the operation for specifying the window display position was simple.

[0007] However, in conventional display systems, after launching a window, it was necessary to perform an operation to move the window to a desired position, or to set the desired window display position using an information processing device other than the information processing device that displays the window on the display screen, which resulted in the problem of requiring cumbersome operations.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a display system that can solve the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, a position indicating device, and an information processing device having a sensor and a display screen for detecting a position indicated by the position indicating device; The position indicating device is an interaction unit provided in a housing and configured to perform signal interaction with the sensor of the information processing device; a locking member for locking the housing to the display screen of the information processing device; Equipped with The information processing device includes: a position detection circuit that detects a position indicated by the position indication device in a state where the position indication device is locked to the display screen by the locking member, based on an interaction between the sensor and the interaction unit of the position indication device; a control circuit that controls the display screen to display a predetermined display image based on the position indicated by the position indicating device detected by the position detection circuit; The present invention provides a display system comprising:

[0010] In the display system having the above-mentioned configuration, when the position indication device is locked on the display screen of the display unit of the information processing device, the display processing unit of the information processing device displays a predetermined display image on the display screen based on the position indicated by the position indication device. Therefore, by locking the position indication device at an arbitrary position selected by the user on the display screen of the information processing device, a predetermined display image, for example a window, can be displayed based on the selected position where the position indication device is locked. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration example of an information processing device of an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is an exploded perspective view for explaining a configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of an electrical configuration of an information processing device of the embodiment of the display system according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of the external configuration of a position indication device according to an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration example of a position indication device of an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention. [Figure 7] 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining an operation of detecting rotation in the position indication device of the embodiment of the display system according to the present invention. [Figure 8] 2 is a block diagram for explaining an example of an electrical configuration of a position indication device of the embodiment of the display system according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating timing charts for explaining the operation of the position indication device of the embodiment of the display system according to the present invention. [Figure 10] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining an example of the operation of an information processing device of an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention. [Figure 11]1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining an example of the operation of an information processing device of an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention. [Figure 12] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining an example of the operation of an information processing device of an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention. [Figure 13] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining an example of the operation of an information processing device of an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention. [Figure 14] 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining an example of the operation of an information processing device of an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of the flow of operations of an information processing device of the embodiment of the display system according to the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of the flow of operations of an information processing device of the embodiment of the display system according to the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of the flow of operations of an information processing device of the embodiment of the display system according to the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operations of the position indication device of the embodiment of the display system according to the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display system according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of another embodiment of a display system according to the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of another embodiment of a display system according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a display system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a display system of the first embodiment, which is configured with an information processing device 1 having a display device (display unit) having a display screen DS, and one or more position indication devices 2. In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 includes an information processing device main body 10 configured as a computer having a display screen DS, a keyboard 1K, a mouse 1M, and an electronic pen 1P. The keyboard 1K, the mouse 1M, and the electronic pen 1P are input devices for the information processing device main body 10, and in this example, the keyboard 1K and the mouse 1M are connected to the information processing device main body 10. In this embodiment, the keyboard 1K and the mouse 1M are connected by wire, but may be connected wirelessly. In addition, the electronic pen 1P is configured to be able to perform position indication input and writing force on the display screen DS to the information processing device main body 10 by performing signal interaction with a position detection sensor 11 described later.

[0014] In the display system of the first embodiment, the information processing device main body 10 is placed on a desk, for example, with the display screen DS in a direction intersecting with the desk surface, which is a horizontal plane, as shown in Fig. 1. The position indication device 2 is configured to include a locking member that enables the position indication device 2 to be attached so as to be locked on the display screen DS of the information processing device 1. In this first embodiment, the display screen DS is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, but the position indication device 2 is configured to be locked on the display screen DS without falling off, using a locking member, in this example, a magnetically attracted magnet member (e.g., a permanent magnet).

[0015] <Configuration Example of Information Processing Device Main Unit 10> Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the information processing device main body 10, and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the information processing device main body 10. In this example, the information processing device main body 10 is configured such that a computer and other necessary electronic components are stored on the rear side of the display screen DS.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the information processing device main body 10 of this embodiment is configured to include a position detection sensor 11, a display device 12, a magnetic plate 13, an upper case 14, and a lower case 15. A printed circuit board or the like (not shown) on which electronic components are arranged is provided at the bottom of the lower case 15. The display device 12 is configured as a flat display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display. The position detection sensor 11 is arranged so as to be overlapped on the upper side of the display screen DS of the display device 12. In this case, the position detection area of ​​the position detection sensor 11 is arranged so as to substantially coincide with the display area of ​​the display screen of the display device 12.

[0017] In this embodiment, the position detection sensor 11 is configured as a capacitance type sensor, and a transparent electrode group consisting of a plurality of light-transmitting electrodes is arranged on a transparent substrate 11BD. The transparent electrode group has an electrode pattern in which m (m>1) first transparent electrodes Y1 to Ym arranged in the Y-axis direction and n (n>1) second transparent electrodes X1 to Xn arranged in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the Y-axis direction are arranged in a lattice shape so as to be perpendicular to each other. The first transparent electrodes Y1 to Ym and the second transparent electrodes X1 to Xn are made of a conductor made of a light-transmitting conductive material, for example, an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) film. The electronic pen 1P corresponds to the position detection sensor 11 of the capacitance type, and is configured as, for example, an active capacitance type electronic pen.

[0018] In this embodiment, a magnetic plate 13 made of, for example, an iron plate is disposed on the rear side of the display screen DS of the LCD 12. As will be described later, this magnetic plate 13 is for locking the position indication device 2 at an arbitrary position on the display screen DS of the information processing device main body 10 by magnetic attraction of a magnet member, which is an example of a locking member, provided in the position indication device 2, when the position indication device 2 is placed on the display screen DS of the information processing device main body 10. In this example, the magnetic plate 13 is made of an iron plate.

[0019] The upper case 14 is configured such that a rectangular glass plate 14G having a size corresponding to the entire position detection area of ​​the position detection sensor 11 arranged on the display screen side of the LCD 12 is supported by a frame portion 14FL made of, for example, synthetic resin. The lower case 15 is also configured of, for example, synthetic resin, and has a printed circuit board or the like (not shown) on which electronic components are arranged, and a recess 15C surrounded by a frame wall 15FL. After the position detection sensor 11, the LCD 12, and the magnetic plate 13 are housed in the recess 15C, the frame portion 14FL of the upper case 14 is adhered to the upper surface of the frame wall 15FL of the lower case 15 with an adhesive, thereby closing the recess 15C, and the information processing device main body 10 is assembled.

[0020] <Example of Electrical Circuit Configuration of Information Processing Device 1> FIG. 4 shows an example of the electrical circuit configuration of the information processing device 1 configured as above.

[0021] The position detection sensor 11 and the display device 12 are electrically connected to a processing circuit 100 of the information processing device main body 10. The processing circuit 100 is configured by connecting an electrode selection circuit 102, a changeover switch circuit 103, a position detection circuit 104, a transmission information processing circuit 105, a display control circuit 106, a storage unit 107, a short-range wireless communication unit 108, and a communication unit 109 to a control circuit 101 that controls the entire information processing device main body 10.

[0022] The electrode selection circuit 102 is connected to each of the m first transparent electrodes Y1 to Ym and the n second transparent electrodes X1 to Xn of the transparent electrode group of the position detection sensor 11, and the electrode selection circuit 102 selects one or more transparent electrodes from the first transparent electrodes Y1 to Ym and the n second transparent electrodes X1 to Xn based on a control signal from the control circuit 101.

[0023] The electrode selection circuit 102 is connected to a changeover switch circuit 103. The changeover switch circuit 103 is switched by a changeover control signal from the control circuit 101 between receiving a signal from the position detection sensor 11 (reception mode) and transmitting information from the position detection sensor 11 (transmission mode).

[0024] That is, in a reception mode in which the position detection sensor 11 receives a signal from the position indication device 2, as described later, the changeover switch circuit 103 is switched to the terminal R side by a changeover control signal from the control circuit 101, and the conductor selected by the electrode selection circuit 102 is connected to the input terminal of the position detection circuit 104. In a transmission mode in which information is transmitted from the position detection sensor 11, the changeover switch circuit 103 is switched to the terminal T side by a changeover control signal from the control circuit 101, and the conductor selected by the electrode selection circuit 102 is connected to the output terminal of the transmission information processing circuit 105. In this embodiment, the control circuit 101 of the information processing device main body 10 is configured to synchronize timing with the position indication device 2, as described later, and execute the transmission mode and the reception mode in a time-division manner.

[0025] The position detection circuit 104 detects the signal level of the signal received from the transparent electrodes selected by the electrode selection circuit 102, and detects the position indicated by the position indication device 2 from the detection result. Then, the position detection circuit 104 supplies information on the detected position to the control circuit 101. The control circuit 101 executes processing as described below based on the received information on the indicated position of the position indication device 2. In this embodiment, the position detection circuit 104 also performs processing to detect the rotation (amount of rotation and direction of rotation) of the position indication device 2 from the signals received from the multiple transparent electrodes selected by the electrode selection circuit 102, as described below, and also performs processing to supply information on the detected rotation to the control circuit 101.

[0026] In addition, in this embodiment, the position detection circuit 104 detects unique identification information (hereinafter referred to as device ID) sent from the position indication device 2 from the received signal from the transparent electrode selected by the electrode selection circuit 102, and also performs processing to supply the detected device ID to the control circuit 101.

[0027] The transmission information processing circuit 105 converts (modulates) the transmission information from the control circuit 101 into a signal suitable for transmission to the electronic pen 3 via the position detection sensor 11, and supplies the converted (modulated) signal to the transparent electrode selected by the electrode selection circuit 102 via the changeover switch circuit 103, so that it is sent to the position indication device 2.

[0028] The display control circuit 106 is connected to the display device 12, and receives display image information from the control circuit 101, and controls the display device 12 to display an image corresponding to the display image information on its display screen.

[0029] The storage unit 107 stores and reads information based on the control of the control circuit 101 .

[0030] As described later, the short-range wireless communication unit 108 is for wireless communication with a short-range wireless communication unit provided in the position indication device 2, and in this embodiment, is configured as a wireless communication unit conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. The control circuit 101 is configured to perform processing such as storing information acquired through the short-range wireless communication unit 108 in the storage unit 107, and supplying an image corresponding to the acquired information to the display control circuit 106 and displaying it on the display screen of the display device 12.

[0031] In this embodiment, the communication unit 109 is for connecting to the Internet through a wireless communication line and for communicating with a specific party (such as by e-mail). The control circuit 101 is configured to store information acquired through the communication unit 109 in the storage unit 107, and to supply an image corresponding to the acquired information to the display control circuit 106 and display it on the display screen of the display device 12.

[0032] In addition to storing predetermined information in advance, memory unit 107 also stores the processing results of control circuit 101 and information received from position indication device 2 under the control of control circuit 101.

[0033] In this embodiment, the control circuit 101 is configured as a computer and is equipped with various applications. Of course, applications can be added later, for example, from the Internet via the communication unit 109. In this embodiment, the multiple applications equipped in the control circuit 101 include applications registered in correspondence with the unique device IDs of the position indication devices 2.

[0034] <Configuration Example of Position Indication Device 2> The position indication device 2 of this embodiment is configured to include an interaction unit in the housing that performs signal interaction with the position detection sensor 11 of the information processing device main body 10 to indicate a position. The position indication device 2 of this embodiment also includes a magnet as an example of a locking member for locking the position indication device 2 to the display screen DS of the display device 12 of the information processing device main body 10 by locking the housing to the display screen DS.

[0035] Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the appearance of the position indication device 2 of this embodiment, Fig. 5(A) is an external perspective view of the position indication device 2, Fig. 5(B) is a top view, and Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the position indication device 2.

[0036] 5, the position indication device 2 has a housing 21 having a disk-like or cylindrical appearance. In this embodiment, a magnet 22 is provided on the bottom surface 21a side of the disk-like or cylindrical housing 21. A push button 23 is provided on the top surface side of the housing 21, opposite to the bottom surface 21a side.

[0037] In this embodiment, the magnet 22 is composed of one or more disk-shaped permanent magnets (four in the example of Fig. 5), which are arranged at 90 degree angular intervals from each other. The magnet 22 constitutes a locking member for locking the position indication device 2 to the display screen DS by magnetically attracting and coupling with the magnetic plate 13 of the information processing device main body 10 described above when the bottom surface 21a of the position indication device 2 is abutted against the display screen DS or when the bottom surface 21a faces the display screen DS with a small gap therebetween.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, the housing 21 is composed of a housing main body part 211 and a locking support part 212. As shown in Fig. 5(A) and Fig. 6, the housing main body part 211 and the locking support part 212 are coupled together in the axial direction of the housing 21. In this case, the housing main body part 211 is coupled to the locking support part 212 so as to be rotatable with respect to the locking support part 212, with the center line position in the axial direction serving as the rotation axis position.

[0039] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the locking support part 212 has a ring-shaped end surface 212a with a width W (the width W in the radial direction of the circular bottom surface 21a) on the outer periphery side of the circular bottom surface 21a of the housing 21, and is configured in a ring shape with a length L in the axial direction (i.e., a thickness L). The magnet 22 is embedded in the ring-shaped end surface 212a of the locking support part 212, as shown in Figs. 5(B) and 6.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 6, the housing body 211 has a step 211S at the periphery of the bottom side of the housing 21, the step 211S having a size corresponding to the thickness L and width W of the locking support part 212. A ring-shaped convex rib 211p is formed on a peripheral side surface 211Sa of the step 211S of the housing body 211, which is perpendicular to the bottom surface 21a, around the entire circumference of the peripheral side surface 211Sa, as shown in Fig. 6. Meanwhile, a ring-shaped groove 212g with which the ring-shaped convex rib 211p engages is formed on an inner peripheral surface 212b of the locking support part 212 facing the peripheral side surface 211Sa of the step 211S of the housing body 211, at a position corresponding to the ring-shaped convex rib 211p.

[0041] As configured as above, when the housing body 211 and the locking support part 212 are coupled in the axial direction of the housing 21, the ring-shaped groove 212g on the inner circumferential surface 212b of the locking support part 212 engages with the ring-shaped ridge 211p on the peripheral side surface 211Sa of the step part 211S of the housing body 211, and the two are in a state of maintaining the coupling. In this case, the dimensions of each part of the step part 211S of the housing body 211 and the locking support part 212 are determined so that the ring-shaped groove 212g on the inner circumferential surface 212b of the locking support part 212 and the ring-shaped ridge 211p on the peripheral side surface 211Sa of the step part 211S of the housing body 211 are loosely fitted into each other. Therefore, the housing body 211 and the locking support part 212 are coupled in a rotatable state.

[0042] 6, the bottom surface 21a of the housing 21 is composed of the bottom surface 211b of the housing main body 211 and the ring-shaped end surface 212a of the locking support portion 212, and the bottom surface 211b of the housing main body 211 and the ring-shaped end surface 212a of the locking support portion 212 are arranged to be on the same plane (flush), but they do not have to be flush. However, in order to make it easier for the housing main body 211 to rotate with respect to the locking support portion 212 when the position indication device 2 is locked to the display screen DS, it is preferable that the ring-shaped end surface 212a of the locking support portion 212 protrudes slightly outward in the axial direction of the housing 21 more than the bottom surface 211b of the housing main body 211, so that a slight gap is formed between the bottom surface 211b of the housing main body 211 and the display screen DS.

[0043] In the example of FIG. 6, the housing main body 211 and the locking support parts 212 are also flush with each other on the peripheral side surface of the housing 21. However, instead of being flush, the peripheral side surface of the locking support parts 212 may protrude beyond the peripheral side surface of the housing main body 211, or conversely, the peripheral side surface of the housing main body 211 may protrude beyond the peripheral side surface of the locking support parts 212. 6, the housing main body 211 has a storage recess 211R for storing components of the position indication device 2. The components of the position indication device 2 include an interaction unit 3 that performs interaction of signals for indicating a position with the position detection sensor 11 of the information processing device main body 10. In this embodiment, the interaction unit 3 has a configuration similar to that of an interaction unit of an active capacitance type electronic pen.

[0044] That is, the interaction unit 3 of the position indication device 2 of this embodiment has a configuration similar to that of a capacitive electronic pen in correspondence with the capacitive position detection sensor 11. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the interaction unit 3 includes a central electrode 31 (corresponding to the core of the electronic pen) made of a conductive material, for example, a conductive metal, a peripheral electrode 32 arranged to cover a part of the axial direction of the central electrode 31 and made of a conductive material, for example, a conductive metal, and a signal processing circuit 33. The central electrode 31 constitutes a first electrode, and is formed in a rod shape in this example. The peripheral electrode 32 constitutes a second electrode, and is formed in a hollow triangular pyramid shape in this example.

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the interaction unit 3 is fixedly supported (illustration of the fixing support mechanism is omitted) within the storage recess 211R of the housing main body 211 so that the tip position of the rod-shaped central electrode 31 is at the center position of the circular bottom surface 21a of the housing 21 and the axial direction of the rod-shaped central electrode 31 is inclined at a predetermined angle (≠ 90) relative to the bottom surface 21a.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the plate thickness of the bottom portion of the storage recess 211R of the housing main body 211 is made relatively thin so that the central electrode 31 and peripheral electrode 32 of the interaction unit 3 and the position detection sensor 11 of the information processing device main body 10 can perform signal interaction using a capacitive method.

[0047] As described later, in this embodiment, the position indication device 2 indicates a position by sending a signal to the position detection sensor 11 through the central electrode 31, and also sends a signal to the position detection sensor 11 through the central electrode 31 and the peripheral electrode 32, allowing the information processing device 1 to detect the direction of inclination of the central electrode 31 of the interaction unit 3 relative to the bottom surface 21a.

[0048] That is, when a signal is sent to the position detection sensor 11 only from the center electrode 31 of the position indication device 2, the position detection sensor 11 in the information processing device 1 receives a signal from the tip of the center electrode 31 in an area AR0 as indicated by the shaded line in Fig. 7(A), and based on this, the position detection circuit 104 detects the position indicated by the tip of the center electrode 31. Then, the position detection circuit 104 supplies information on the detected position indicated by the tip of the center electrode 31 to the control circuit 101.

[0049] In addition, when signals are sent from the central electrode 31 and the peripheral electrode 32 of the position indication device 2 to the position detection sensor 11, the position detection sensor 11 in the information processing device 1 receives signals from the tilted central electrode 31 and peripheral electrode 32, and receives the signals in an elongated area AR1 whose longitudinal direction is the direction of tilt of the central electrode 31 with respect to the bottom surface 21a, as shown by the shaded lines in FIG. 7(B). The position detection circuit 104 detects the longitudinal direction of this elongated area AR1 to detect the direction of tilt of the interaction unit 3 (the direction of tilt of the central electrode 31 of the interaction unit 3) (arrow direction in FIG. 7(B)), and supplies information on the longitudinal direction to the control circuit 101. The position detection circuit 104 then supplies information on the detected direction of tilt of the interaction unit 3 to the control circuit 101.

[0050] 7B, when the housing main body 211 rotates, the elongated region AR1 changes to elongated region AR1', changing the direction of inclination of the interaction unit 3. The control circuit 101 detects the change in the longitudinal direction of the elongated region AR1, thereby detecting the direction and amount of rotation of the housing main body 211.

[0051] 5 and 6, in this embodiment, an opening of a storage recess 211R of the housing main body 211 is located on the upper surface side opposite to the bottom surface 21a in the axial direction of the housing 21, and a push button 23 is provided in this opening. The push button 23 is elastically supported by a coil spring 4 provided in the storage recess 211R of the housing main body 211, as shown in FIG.

[0052] The push button 23 is configured to have an open / close switch 23S that is turned on / off in response to a pressing operation. In this embodiment, when the push button 23 is pressed toward the inside of the storage recess 211R of the housing main body 211 against the elastic force of the coil spring 4, it is locked in the pressed state, and the open / close switch 23S is turned on. When the push button 23 is pressed further in this locked state, the lock is released, and the button returns to its original protruding state due to the elastic force of the coil spring 4, and the open / close switch returns to its off state. The movement mechanism of the push button 23 and the mechanism for turning the open / close switch 23S on / off can be well-known, and therefore are not shown in FIG. 6.

[0053] In this embodiment, within the storage recess 211R of the housing main body 211, the electrical components of the position indication device 2 are arranged, for example, on a printed circuit board arranged on the bottom surface of the storage recess 211R.

[0054] Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of an internal electrical configuration of the position indication device 2 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, an interaction unit 3 and a control circuit 5 that controls signal interaction with the position detection sensor 11 through the interaction unit 3 and controls the entire position indication device 2 are provided in the storage recess 211R of the position indication device 2. A short-range wireless communication unit 6 that communicates with the short-range wireless communication unit 108 of the information processing device main body 10, a device ID storage unit 7 that stores identification information (device ID) unique to each position indication device 2, and an information storage unit 8 that stores various information are provided and connected to the control circuit 5 in the storage recess 211R of the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2.

[0055] 8, a battery 9 is provided in the storage recess 211R of the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2, and a power supply voltage from the battery 9 is supplied to the control circuit 5 and other circuit sections via an open / close switch 23S constituted by a push button 23. Therefore, when the open / close switch 23S is off, no power supply voltage is applied to each circuit section of the position indication device 2, and the position indication device 2 does not operate, whereas when the open / close switch 23S is turned on, power supply voltage is applied to each circuit section of the position indication device 2, and the position indication device 2 starts operating.

[0056] In this example, as shown in Fig. 8, in the signal processing circuit 33 of the interaction unit 3, a signal transmission circuit 331 and a signal receiving circuit 332 are connected to the control circuit 5. The signal output terminal of the signal transmission circuit 331 is connected to the central electrode 31 through the switch circuit 333. In this example, the signal output terminal of the signal transmission circuit 331 is connected to a terminal S of a changeover switch circuit 334. A movable terminal M of the changeover switch circuit 334 is connected to the peripheral electrode 32. A terminal R of the changeover switch circuit 334 is connected to an input terminal of the signal receiving circuit 332. In addition, a terminal G of the changeover switch circuit 334 is connected to an earth electrode (ground electrode).

[0057] The control circuit 5 supplies the switch circuit 333 with a switching control signal SW1 for controlling the on / off of the switch circuit 333. The control circuit 5 also supplies the changeover switch circuit 334 with a switching control signal SW2 for switching whether the movable terminal M is connected to the terminal S, the terminal R, or the terminal G.

[0058] The signal receiving circuit 332 monitors whether or not a signal is received from the position detection sensor 11 through the peripheral electrode 32 when the changeover switch circuit 334 is switched to the terminal R. Then, when the signal receiving circuit 332 detects the reception of a signal from the position detection sensor 11 through the peripheral electrode 32, it performs processing such as demodulation according to the received signal and sends a signal resulting from the processing to the control circuit 5.

[0059] The signal transmission circuit 331 outputs a signal including a position detection signal (burst signal) of a predetermined frequency for position detection by the position detection circuit 104 of the information processing device 1 and a device ID as additional information, as a signal to be transmitted from the central electrode 31. In addition, the signal transmission circuit 331 outputs a signal for detecting the tilt direction of the interaction unit 3 as a signal to be transmitted from the peripheral electrode 32.

[0060] The signal transmission circuit 331 generates and transmits a signal to be transmitted from the central electrode 31 and a signal to be transmitted from the peripheral electrode 32 under the control of the control circuit 5. The control circuit 5 also converts the device ID read from the device ID storage unit 7 into a multi-bit digital signal in this example, and controls the signal transmission circuit 331 to output the digital signal from the signal transmission circuit 331 following the position detection signal.

[0061] The information storage unit 8 stores information received from the position detection sensor 11 of the information processing device 1 through the peripheral electrode 32, or information received from the short-range wireless communication unit 108 of the information processing device 1 through the short-range wireless communication unit 6, under the control of the control circuit 5. The information stored in the information storage unit 8 is read out under the control of the control circuit 5, and in this embodiment, is sent out from the short-range wireless communication unit 6 to the outside.

[0062] As described above, in this example, the short-range wireless communication unit 6 uses wireless communication means conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard in order to wirelessly communicate with the short-range wireless communication unit 108 of the information processing device 1. It goes without saying that the short-range wireless communication unit 6 can wirelessly communicate not only with the information processing device 1 but also with personal computers and the like that use wireless communication means conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

[0063] The operation of the interaction unit 3 of the position indication device 2 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0064] In the position indication device 2 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 9(A) and (B), when the push button 23 is not pressed, the open / close switch 23S is turned off and the device is in a non-operational state, and when the push button 23 is pressed and locked, the open / close switch 23S is turned on and power supply voltage from the battery 9 is supplied to each section, resulting in an operating state.

[0065] In the operating state of the position indication device 2, the control circuit 5 controls the operation mode of the interaction unit 3 to be switched between a signal reception mode and a signal transmission mode in a time-division manner, as shown in Fig. 9(B). In this case, the time-division control is set to start from the signal reception mode.

[0066] In the signal reception mode, the control circuit 5 switches the changeover switch circuit 334 to the fixed terminal R side by the changeover control signal SW2 as shown in Fig. 9(E). Therefore, the signal reception circuit 332 receives a signal from the position detection sensor 11 received by the peripheral electrode 32 through the changeover switch circuit 334, performs processing such as demodulation according to the received signal, and sends the processed signal to the control circuit 5. In the signal reception mode, the control circuit 5 turns off the switch circuit 333 by the changeover control signal SW1 as shown in Fig. 9(D), so that no signal is sent from the center electrode 31. In the signal reception mode, the center electrode 31 may be used for reception in addition to the peripheral electrode 32.

[0067] The control circuit 5 analyzes the signal received from the position detection sensor 11 by the signal from the signal receiving circuit 332, and based on the analysis result, determines the timing of signal interaction with the partner position detection sensor 11. Then, the control circuit 5 controls the signal transmission circuit 331 in the signal transmission mode to transmit the signal at the determined timing.

[0068] In addition, in this signal reception mode, when the control circuit 5 receives information from the information processing device 1 via the peripheral electrode 32 through the position detection sensor 11 from the signal reception circuit 332, the control circuit 5 also performs a process of storing the received information in the information storage unit 8.

[0069] In the signal transmission mode, in this embodiment, the control circuit 5 executes a position detection period Ta, in which a burst signal for position detection and a device ID are transmitted to the position detection device side, and a tilt detection period Tb, in which the tilt angle of the interaction unit 3 of the position indication device 2 is detected, multiple times in a time-division manner (see FIG. 9(C)).

[0070] During the position detection period Ta, the control circuit 5 turns on the switch circuit 333 by the control signal SW1 (see FIG. 9(D)), and the changeover switch circuit 334 connects the movable terminal M to the fixed terminal G by the changeover control signal SW2 (see FIG. 9(E)). Therefore, the peripheral electrode 32 is connected to the ground terminal.

[0071] During the position detection period Ta, the control circuit 5 controls the signal transmission circuit 331 to supply a signal including a position detection signal (burst signal) of a predetermined frequency for position detection in the position detection circuit 104 and the device ID to the center electrode 31 via the switch circuit 333 and transmits the signal to the position detection sensor 11 by electrostatic capacitive coupling. At this time, since the peripheral electrode 32 is connected to the earth terminal, it acts as a shield electrode for the center electrode 31 and prevents noise from entering the center electrode 31.

[0072] During the tilt detection period Tb, the control circuit 5 controls the switch circuit 333 to be on by the control signal SW1 (see FIG. 9(D)), and controls the changeover switch circuit 334 to connect the movable terminal M to the fixed terminal S by the changeover control signal SW2 (see FIG. 9(E)). During this tilt detection period Tb, the control circuit 5 controls the signal transmission circuit 331 to generate a burst signal for detecting the tilt angle of the central electrode 31 of the interaction unit 3, and to send it out from the peripheral electrode 32.

[0073] [Example of functional configuration of information processing device 1 and position indication device 2 in display system] 1, when the position indication device 2 is placed on the display screen DS of the information processing device 1 with the bottom surface 21a side facing the display screen DS, the position indication device 2 is fixed as if stuck to the display screen DS by the magnetic attraction force between the magnet 22 and the magnetic plate 13 of the information processing device main body 10. When the user presses the push button 23 of the position indication device 2 to lock it in the pressed state, the position indication device 2 starts operating and becomes available for interaction with the position detection sensor 11 of the information processing device 1.

[0074] Then, in the information processing device 1, a signal transmitted from the center electrode 31 during the position detection period Ta of the signal transmission mode of the interaction unit 3 of the position indication device 2 is received through the position detection sensor 11, and the position detection circuit 104 detects the position indicated by the tip of the center electrode 31 and also detects the device ID, and supplies the detection result to the control circuit 101. The control circuit 101 grasps the position indicated by the tip of the center electrode 31 of the interaction unit 3 of the position indication device 2 detected by the position detection circuit 104, and also grasps the application stored corresponding to the device ID.

[0075] Then, the control circuit 101 displays the determined window WD (initial window) for the application on the display screen DS based on the determined designated position, as shown in Fig. 1. In this example, the control circuit 101 of the information processing device 1 displays the window so that the position on the display screen DS designated by the position designation device 2 is near one of the four corners of the rectangular window WD of a predetermined size, as shown in Fig. 10.

[0076] In this case, if the window WD is displayed so that the pointing position of the position pointing device 2 on the display screen DS is always near one of the four corners of the rectangular window WD, for example, near the upper left corner as shown in FIG. 10, depending on the pointing position of the position pointing device 2 on the display screen DS, a part of the window WD of a specified size may be missing when displayed.

[0077] That is, as shown in Fig. 11, when the position indicating device 2 is placed in an approximate central region on the display screen DS or in the upper left region on the display screen DS, a window WD of a predetermined size can be displayed by making the position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indicating device 2 near the upper left corner of the window WD. However, as shown in Fig. 11, when the position indicating device 2 is placed in the lower left region, upper right region, or lower right region on the display screen DS, if the position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indicating device 2 is near the upper left corner of the window WD, the window WD of the predetermined size will be displayed with a missing portion, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 11.

[0078] In view of this problem, in this embodiment, when the position indication device 2 is placed on the display screen DS, the information processing device 1 detects the position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indication device 2, and determines how to display the window WD according to the detected position. That is, in the above example, it selects which of the four corners of the window WD is to be displayed as the vicinity of the position indicated by the position indication device 2.

[0079] As a result, when the position indication device 2 is placed in the lower left region on the display screen DS, the position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indication device 2 is made to be near the lower left corner of the window WD, and the window WD of the predetermined size is displayed without being cut off, as shown by the solid line in Fig. 11. Also, when the position indication device 2 is placed in the upper right region on the display screen DS, the position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indication device 2 is made to be near the upper right corner of the window WD, and the window WD of the predetermined size is displayed without being cut off, as shown by the solid line in Fig. 11. Furthermore, when the position indication device 2 is placed in the lower right region on the display screen DS, the position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indication device 2 is made to be near the lower left corner of the window WD, and the window WD of the predetermined size is displayed without being cut off, as shown by the solid line in Fig. 11.

[0080] In this case, as described above, the position of the tip of the central electrode of the interaction unit 3 of the position indication device 2 is set to the center position of the bottom surface 2a of the position indication device 2, so the position indicated by the position indication device 2 detected by the position detection circuit 104 is the center position of the bottom surface 2a of the position indication device 2. Since the position indication device 2 has a predetermined size, if the window WD is displayed based on the center position of the bottom surface 2a of the position indication device 2 detected by the position detection circuit 104, a part of the window WD will be hidden by the bottom surface 2a of the position indication device 2 as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 10. To avoid this, in this embodiment, the information processing device 1 controls the display of the window WD so that a position shifted by the radius of the bottom surface 2a of the position indication device 2 is set as a reference position and the reference position is one of the four corners of the window WD.

[0081] In the example of Fig. 11, the information processing device 1 displays a rectangular window WD such that the position pointed to on the display screen DS by the position pointing device 2 is one of the four corners of the window WD. However, the relationship between the window WD and the position pointed to on the display screen DS by the position pointing device 2 is not limited to the example of Fig. 11, and any positional relationship can be established by determining the relative positions of the two in advance.

[0082] For example, in the example of Fig. 12, the window WD is displayed so that the position pointed to by the position pointing device 2 is the middle position of the four sides of the rectangular window WD, and in the example of Fig. 12, it is exactly at the center position. That is, in the example of Fig. 12(A), the information processing device 1 displays the window WD so that the position pointed to by the position pointing device 2 is the center position of the upper side of the rectangular window WD. Then, in the example of Fig. 12(B), the information processing device 1 displays the window WD so that the position pointed to by the position pointing device 2 is the center position of the lower side of the rectangular window WD, and in the example of Fig. 12(C), the information processing device 1 displays the window WD so that the position pointed to by the position pointing device 2 is the center position of the left side of the rectangular window WD, and further, in the example of Fig. 12(D), the information processing device 1 displays the window WD so that the position pointed to by the position pointing device 2 is the center position of the right side of the rectangular window WD.

[0083] As described above, the information processing device 1 controls in which direction the rectangular window WD is expanded from the reference position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indicating device 2, thereby always being able to display a window WD of a predetermined size on the display screen DS without any part being cut off.

[0084] In the above description, the window WD is initially displayed in a predetermined size. However, the size (vertical and / or horizontal size) of the window WD may be controlled according to the position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indicating device 2 detected by the information processing apparatus 1. Further, the size of the window WD may be pre-selected to be different for each application corresponding to the device ID of the position indicating device 2 in the information processing apparatus 1.

[0085] After the window WD is displayed as described above, when the position indicating device 2 is moved on the display screen DS by the user while the interaction between the position indicating device 2 and the position detection sensor 11 of the information processing apparatus 1 is maintained, the size of the window WD is changed according to the moving direction of the position indicating device 2 without changing the display position of the window WD.

[0086] An example of changing the size of the window WD according to the movement of the position indicating device 2 on the display screen DS will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 13(A), when the position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indicating device 2 is near the upper left corner position and the window WD with a horizontal width of L0 and a vertical length of H0 is displayed.

[0087] When the user moves the position indicating device 2 straight down as shown in FIG. 13(B), the window WD does not change the horizontal width L, and without changing the position of the lower side, which is the opposite side of the upper side where the position indicating device 2 is located in the moving direction, the position of the upper side is moved downward by the amount of the movement. As a result, the vertical length of the window WD is shortened from H0 to H1 (<H0), and the window WD is changed to be shrunk in the vertical direction. Although not shown, when the user moves the position indicating device 2 straight up, the window WD does not change the horizontal width L, and without changing the position of the lower side, the position of the upper side is moved upward by the amount of the movement. As a result, the window WD is changed to be enlarged so as to be stretched in the vertical direction.

[0088] Also, when the user horizontally moves the position indicating device 2 to the left as shown in FIG. 13(C), the window WD does not change the vertical length H0, and without changing the position of the right side, which is the opposite side of the left side where the position indicating device 2 is located in the moving direction, the position of the left side is horizontally moved by the amount of its movement. As a result, the window WD is changed such that the horizontal width is shortened from L0 to L1 (<L0), and the window WD is shrunk horizontally. Although not shown, when the user moves the position indicating device 2 to the right, the window WD does not change the horizontal width L, does not change the vertical length H0, and without changing the position of the right side, the position of the left side is moved to the left by the amount of its movement. As a result, the window WD is changed such that the horizontal width is stretched to be larger than L0, and the window WD is stretched horizontally.

[0089] Then, when the user obliquely moves the position indicating device 2 downward to the right as shown in FIG. 13(D) so that the upper left corner is moved, the window WD moves the positions of the left side and the upper side in the right side direction and the lower side direction by the amount of the movement of the upper left corner without changing the positions of the right side and the lower side to which the lower right corner, which is opposite in the moving direction of the position indicating device 2, belongs. As a result, the window WD is changed such that the horizontal width is shortened from L0 to L2 (<L0) and the vertical length is shortened from H0 to H2 (<H0), and the window WD is changed such that the horizontal width and the vertical length are shrunk. Although not shown, when the user moves the position indicating device 2 obliquely upward to the left so that the upper left corner is moved, the window WD moves the positions of the left side and the upper side to the left, which is opposite to the right side direction, and upward, which is opposite to the lower side direction, by the amount of its movement without changing the positions of the right side and the lower side to which the lower right corner belongs. As a result, the window WD is changed such that the horizontal width is made larger than L0 and the vertical length is made larger than H0, and the window WD is changed such that it is stretched horizontally and vertically.

[0090] In the example of FIG. 13(D), by fixing the position of the lower right corner of the window WD and changing the position of the upper left corner of the window WD corresponding to the position indicated by the position indicating device 2, the horizontal and vertical lengths of the window WD can be conveniently changed as desired.

[0091] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, when the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2 is rotated relative to the locking support part 212, the position detection circuit 104 of the information processing device 1 is configured to be able to detect the direction and amount of rotation (rotation angle) of the rotation.

[0092] The information processing device 1 is configured to be able to change the size of the window WD according to the direction and amount of rotation of the position indicating device 2.

[0093] An example of changing the size of a window WD in response to rotation of the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2 will be described below in which, for example, as shown in FIG. 14(A), a window WD with a width of L0 and a height of H0 is displayed with the position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indication device 2 being near the upper left corner.

[0094] In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 is configured to enlarge the window WD as shown in Fig. 14(B) when the detected rotation direction is, for example, clockwise without changing the aspect ratio of the window WD, and to reduce the window WD as shown in Fig. 14(C) when the detected rotation direction is counterclockwise. The information processing device 1 is configured to change the size of the window WD by the enlargement ratio and reduction ratio according to the detected amount of rotation.

[0095] In this case, as shown in Fig. 14(B), when the enlarged width when the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2 is rotated clockwise is L3 and the vertical length is H3, L0:H0=L3:H3. Also, as shown in Fig. 14(C), when the reduced width when the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2 is rotated counterclockwise is L4 and the vertical length is H4, L0:H0=L4:H4.

[0096] When the information processing device 1 receives input from the mouse 1M, the keyboard 1K, or the electronic pen 1P into the window WD opened in the above manner, it changes the display content in the window WD in accordance with the input operation or input information, and when a storage instruction is given, it stores the instructed information in the memory unit 107.

[0097] Then, the information processing device 1 transmits information associated with the window WD, such as information input in the open window WD or information acquired via the Internet in relation to the window WD, to the position indication device 2 via the position detection sensor 11, as necessary. Note that the information processing device 1 may transmit the information associated with the window WD to the position indication device 2 via the short-range wireless communication unit 108, rather than via the position detection sensor 11.

[0098] The information processing device 1 is also configured to inquire of the position indication device 2 whether there is any information to be acquired as information related to processing in the window WD, and if there is such information, to receive it from the position indication device 2 via the short-range wireless communication unit 108 and use it for processing in the window WD as necessary. The information processing device 1 may be configured to receive information from the position indication device 2 via the position detection sensor 11.

[0099] The position indication device 2 may receive and acquire information to be transmitted to the information processing device 1 from a personal computer via the short-range wireless communication unit 108, and store the information in the information storage unit 8. In this case, the user may acquire the information in advance on the personal computer, for example, from the Internet or from a USB memory or a card-type memory, and then wirelessly connect the short-range wireless communication unit of the personal computer to the short-range wireless communication unit 108 of the position indication device 2, and transmit the acquired information to the position indication device 2.

[0100] [Example of operation of information processing device 1] 15 to 17 are flowcharts for explaining the flow of processing in the control circuit 101 of the information processing device 1. FIG.

[0101] The control circuit 101 monitors whether or not a state in which signal interaction between the interaction unit 3 of the position indication device 2 and the position detection sensor 11 is possible (step S101). In this embodiment, when the bottom surface 2a side of the position indication device 2 is brought close to the display screen DS, the position indication device 2 is magnetically attracted to the magnetic plate 13 of the information processing device 1 by the magnet 22 arranged on the bottom surface 2a, and a state in which signal interaction between the interaction unit 3 of the position indication device 2 and the position detection sensor 11 is possible.

[0102] When it is determined in step S101 that an interaction is possible, the control circuit 101 performs control so as to receive a signal from the position indication device 2 through the position detection sensor 11 (step S102). Then, the control circuit 101 acquires information on the pointing position on the display screen DS by the position indication device 2 detected in the position detection circuit 104 (pointing position within the position detection area of ​​the position detection sensor 11) (step S103), and also recognizes the device ID of the position indication device 2 detected in the position detection circuit 104 (step S104).

[0103] Next, the control circuit 101 launches an application corresponding to the device ID recognized in step S104 (step S105), and displays a window for the launched application in the manner described above, based on the position on the display screen DS indicated by the position indicating device 2 (step S106).

[0104] Next, the control circuit 101 judges whether or not an input using the mouse 1M or the keyboard 1K in the displayed window area has been received (step S107), and when it judges that an input has been received, it reflects the received input information in the display in the window and temporarily stores it (step S108). Note that, depending on the application, the information may not be stored temporarily, but may be stored as saved information.

[0105] If it is determined in step S107 that no input has been accepted, or after step S108, the control circuit 101 determines whether or not the pointed-to position of the position indicating device 2 has been changed while the interaction is maintained (step S111 in FIG. 16). If it is determined in step S111 that the pointed-to position has been changed, the control circuit 101 changes the size of the window in response to the change in the pointed-to position of the position indicating device 2, as described above with reference to FIG. 13 (step S112).

[0106] When it is determined in step S111 that the indicated position has not been changed, or after step S112, the control circuit 101 determines whether or not rotation of the housing body 211 of the position indication device 2 has been detected (step S113). When it is determined in step S113 that rotation of the housing body 211 of the position indication device 2 has been detected, the control circuit 101 detects the direction and amount of rotation (step S114). Then, according to the direction and amount of rotation detected in step S114, the size of the window is changed according to the rotation of the housing body 211 of the position indication device 2, as described above with reference to FIG. 14 (step S115).

[0107] In this embodiment, the detection of the rotation of the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2 in step S114 and the detection of the rotation direction and amount in step S115 are performed by detecting the tilt direction and change in the tilt of the interaction unit 3 of the position indication device 2, as described using Figures 6 and 7.

[0108] When it is determined in step S113 that rotation of the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2 has not been detected, and following step S115, the control circuit 101 transmits an information transmission request to the position indication device 2, in this example, through the position detection sensor 11 (step S116). Then, the control circuit 101 waits to receive information from the position indication device 2 (step S117). The information transmission request to the position indication device 2 may be made through a short-range wireless communication unit instead of through the position detection sensor 11, and in that case, the information from the position indication device 2 is also received through the short-range wireless communication unit.

[0109] When it is confirmed in step S117 that information has been received from the position indicating device 2, the control circuit 101 determines whether the received information is "no transmission information" or not (step S121 in FIG. 17).

[0110] If it is determined in step S121 that the received information is not "no transmission information", the control circuit 101 processes the information received from the position indication device 2 using the running application, and changes the display content of the window as necessary (step S122).

[0111] When it is determined in step S121 that the received information is "no transmission information", or after step S122, the control circuit 101 determines whether or not there is information to be transmitted to the position indication device 2 (step S123). When it is determined in step S123 that there is information to be transmitted to the position indication device 2, the control circuit 101 transmits an information reception request to the position indication device 2 to request reception of the transmission information (step S124), and executes transmission of the transmission information (step S125).

[0112] When it is determined in step S123 that the rotation of the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2 has not been detected, or after step S125, the control circuit 101 determines whether the interaction between the position detection sensor 11 and the position indication device 2 has been disabled (step S126). When it is determined in step S126 that the interaction has not been disabled, the control circuit 101 returns the process to step S107 and repeats the process from step S107 onwards. When it is determined in step S126 that the interaction has been disabled, the control circuit 101 ends the application that has been started and closes the displayed window (step S127). After step S127, the control circuit 101 returns the process to step S101 and repeats the process from step S101 onwards.

[0113] [Example of operation of position indication device 2] FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing performed by the control circuit 5 of the position indicating device 2.

[0114] The control circuit 5 monitors whether the push button 23 is pressed to turn on the power (step S201), and when it confirms that the power is on, it controls the interaction unit 3 to send a position detection signal and a device ID (step S202).

[0115] Next, the control circuit 5 determines whether or not an information sending request has been received from the information processing device 1 (step S203), and if it determines that an information sending request has been received, determines whether or not the transmission information is stored in the information storage unit 8 (step S204).

[0116] If it is determined in step S204 that the transmission information is stored in the information storage unit 8, the control circuit 5 reads out the transmission information and transmits it to the information processing device 1 through the interaction unit 3 and the position detection sensor 11 in this example (step S205). If it is determined in step S104 that the transmission information is not stored in the information storage unit 8, the control circuit 5 transmits a message indicating that there is no transmission information to the information processing device 1 through the interaction unit 3 and the position detection sensor 11 (step S206). Note that the transmission information or a message indicating that there is no transmission information may be transmitted to the information processing device 1 through the short-range wireless communication unit 6.

[0117] After step S205 or step S206, the control circuit 5 determines whether the push button 23 has been operated to turn off the power (step S209), and if it is determined that the power has not been turned off, the process returns to step S202 and repeats the processes from step S202 onwards. Then, if it is detected in step S209 that the power has been turned off, the control circuit 5 ends the processing routine.

[0118] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S203 that an information sending request has not been received from the information processing device 1, the control circuit 5 determines whether or not an information receiving request has been received (step S207). When it is determined in this step S207 that an information receiving request has been received, the control circuit 5 receives information from the information processing device 1 and stores it in the information storage unit 8 (step S208).

[0119] Then, when it is determined in step S207 that an information reception request has been received, or after step S208, the control circuit 5 advances the process to step S209. If it is determined that the power is not turned off, the control circuit 5 returns the process to step S202 and repeats the process from step S202 onwards. If it is detected that the power is turned off, the control circuit 5 terminates this processing routine.

[0120] [Another embodiment of the display system] In the above embodiment, the information processing device is a computer (for example, a personal computer), but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0121] The example of Fig. 19 shows an example in which an information processing device main body 400 of an information processing device constituting an embodiment of a display system is attached to an upper door 1FDa of an electric refrigerator 1FD and used. The information processing device main body 400 in this example is made of a rectangular thin tablet, and its four corners are fixed to the upper door 1FDa made of, for example, an iron plate by magnets 401M in this example. It goes without saying that the method of fixing the information processing device main body 400 is not limited to the method using magnets. In this example, the thin tablet constituting the information processing device main body 400 has a configuration similar to that of the information processing device main body 10 described above.

[0122] Then, as shown in FIG. 19, when the position indication device 2 is magnetically attached and mounted on the surface (display screen) of the information processing device main body 400 and the push button 23 is pressed, a window WD is displayed on the display screen of the information processing device main body 400.

[0123] In this example, multiple position indication devices 2 are prepared, and various apps are registered corresponding to each device ID, such as an app for family chat, an app for accessing the web and displaying cooking recipes (web display), an app for displaying a calendar, etc.

[0124] For example, when a position indication device 2 in which a family communication chat app is registered corresponding to the device ID is attached to the surface of the upper door 1FDa, the following becomes possible. That is, when a family member writes a message using, for example, an electronic pen in a window WD displayed corresponding to the device ID of the position indication device 2, the message is stored in the information storage unit 8 of the position indication device 2. After that, when another family member attaches the same position indication device 2 to the surface of the upper door 1FDa, the message stored in the position indication device 2 is displayed in the displayed window and can be transmitted.

[0125] In addition, in the case of an application for displaying recipes on the Web, for example, dish names are displayed in a window WD, and when a user selects a specific dish name with an electronic pen or the like, the electric refrigerator 1FD accesses the Internet via the wireless communication unit, searches for recipes with that dish name, and displays the search results in the window WD.

[0126] Furthermore, when a position indication device 2 in which a calendar display application is registered with respect to the device ID is attached to the surface of the upper door 1FDa, a calendar is displayed in the window WD.

[0127] The information processing device main body 400 may be embedded integrally in the upper door 1FDa of the electric refrigerator 1FD in advance, rather than being fixed to the upper door 1FDa of the electric refrigerator 1FD by a magnet or the like. In this case, the area of ​​the embedded part of the information processing device main body 400 in the upper door 1FDa of the electric refrigerator 1FD becomes the display screen.

[0128] In this case, the position indicating device 2 is magnetically attached to the surface of the upper door 1FDa of the electric refrigerator 1FD, and when the push button 23 is pressed, a window WD is displayed on a display screen in a partial area of ​​the upper door 1FDa.

[0129] Fig. 20 shows a case where the interactive whiteboard 1IWB is used as an information processing device. In the example of Fig. 20, the input surface of the interactive whiteboard 1IWB is used as a display screen, and a position detection sensor and a processing circuit unit are disposed on the rear side of the display screen, so that the information processing device main body 10 has the same configuration as the input surface of the interactive whiteboard 1IWB.

[0130] In this case, for example, when giving a lecture or having a discussion using the electronic whiteboard 1IWB, the information to be used as materials can be stored in the information storage unit 8 of the position indication device 2, and an application for displaying the information to be used as materials can be registered in correspondence with the device ID, so that the material can be displayed in a window WD displayed based on the position where the position indication device 2 is attached to the electronic whiteboard 1IWB.

[0131] In this case, the size of the window WD can be easily changed by moving the position indication device 2 or rotating the housing main body 211, which is convenient because it allows efficient use of the surface area of ​​the electronic whiteboard 1IWB. In addition, the display of the window WD can be conveniently turned on and off by using the push button 23.

[0132] 21 shows a case where an information processing section having a display screen DSc, which has the same configuration as the information processing device main body of the information processing device of the first embodiment, is provided on the control panel 1CP in front of the driver's seat of the automobile. In this example, for example, a volume control function (application), a temperature control function (application) of the car air conditioner, etc. are registered in correspondence with the device ID of the position indication device 2.

[0133] For example, when a driver or a passenger attaches a position indicating device 2, in which a volume adjustment function is registered corresponding to a device ID, to a display screen DSc, a display image of a user interface for volume adjustment is displayed on the display screen DSc in place of or within the window WD. This allows the driver or passenger to conveniently adjust the volume, for example, without looking, through the display image of the user interface. In addition, the display image of the user interface for volume adjustment can be conveniently turned on and off by the push button 23.

[0134] The display system of the present invention is not limited to the above examples, but can be applied to various devices.

[0135] [Other embodiments or modifications] In the above-described embodiment, the position indicating device 2 is started up by turning on the power by operating the push button 23. However, the control circuit 5 may be configured to be supplied with a minimum driving power supply voltage from a battery even in the standby state, and the control circuit 5 may be configured to detect the on / off state of the open / close switch 23S linked to the push button 23 to supply power supply voltage from the battery to each part and control startup.

[0136] In addition, for example, the position indication device 2 may be configured to monitor the reception of a signal from the position detection sensor 11 through the central electrode 31 or peripheral electrode 32 of the interaction unit 3, and when the position indication device 2 is attached to or brought close to the display screen DS and receives a signal from the position detection sensor 11, the control circuit 5 may be configured to control each part of the position indication device 2 to be started up by supplying power supply voltage from a battery.

[0137] Furthermore, the switch that is linked to the operation of the push button 23 is not limited to a start switch that controls the power-on. For example, in a position indication device 2 that is powered on and started, when the push button 23 is operated, the operation may be the same as when a left click or right click is performed on a mouse pointer.

[0138] For example, when the push button 23 is operated in the position indicating device 2 that is powered on and activated, the information processing device 1 may switch the display screen of the window WD.

[0139] In addition, the push button 23 may not be of the locking type as described above, but may be of a non-locking type, and may be configured to alternately turn the opening / closing switch 23S on and off each time the push button 23 is pressed.

[0140] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a method for detecting rotation of the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2 is used in which the central electrode of the interaction unit 3 is tilted relative to the bottom surface 2a, but the method for detecting rotation is not limited to this.

[0141] For example, a plurality of interaction units 3 may be provided in the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2, and the direction and amount of rotation of the housing main body 211 may be detected based on changes in a plurality of positions indicated by the plurality of interaction units 3. That is, for example, two interaction units 3 may be provided so that the tips of the central electrodes are positioned at positions equidistant from the center position on a diameter passing through the center position of the circular bottom surface 2a of the position indication device 2, thereby making it possible to detect rotation. In this case, the positions indicated by the two interaction units 3 are on the circumference of a circle centered on the center position of the circular bottom surface 2a, so that the direction and amount of rotation can be detected by detecting a change in at least one of the positions indicated by the two interaction units 3. Furthermore, if the positions of the two interaction units 3 can be grasped by the position detection circuit through the position detection sensor 11, for example by making the frequencies of the signals sent from the two interaction units 3 different, the direction and amount of rotation can be detected even if the positions of the tips of the central electrodes of the two interaction units 3 are not equidistant from the central position.

[0142] Furthermore, a motion sensor such as a gyro may be provided inside the housing main body 211 of the position indication device 2, and the direction and amount of rotation of the housing main body 211 may be detected from the motion detection output of the motion sensor.

[0143] In the above embodiment, when the position indication device 2 receives a transmission request or a reception request from the information processing device 1 through the position detection sensor 11, the position indication device 2 transmits and receives information through the position detection sensor 11, and when the position indication device 2 receives the request through the short-range wireless communication unit 6, the position indication device 2 transmits and receives information through the short-range wireless communication unit 6. However, when the position indication device 2 receives a transmission request or a reception request from the information processing device through the position detection sensor 11, the position indication device 2 transmits and receives information through the short-range wireless communication unit 6, and when the position indication device 2 receives the request through the short-range wireless communication unit 6, the position indication device 2 may transmit and receive information through the position detection sensor 11.

[0144] In the above embodiment, a magnet is used to lock the position indication device 2 to the display screen DS. However, the locking member for locking the position indication device 2 to the display screen DS is not limited to one using a magnet. For example, an adhesive that is easily peeled off and can be repeatedly attached may be provided on the bottom surface of the position indication device, or a suction cup or the like may be used.

[0145] Furthermore, when the display screen of the information processing device is a horizontal plane, the position indication device will not fall off the display screen. Therefore, if the purpose is simply to use the position indication device as a start trigger for displaying a window, that is, if the engaged position indication device 2 is not to be rotated, a locking member such as a magnet is not necessary. However, in order to stably engage the position indication device to the display screen, it is better to use a locking member.

[0146] Furthermore, the external shape of the position indication device 2 is not limited to a disk or cylinder, but may be a polygonal prism or any other shape.

[0147] In the above embodiment, the position detection sensor of the information processing device and the interaction unit of the position indication device are of the capacitive type, but may be of the electromagnetic induction type.

[0148] It goes without saying that what is displayed based on the position indicated by the position indicating device is not limited to a window, but may be a predetermined display image. [Explanation of symbols]

[0149] 1...information processing device, 2...position indication device, 3...interaction unit, 7...device ID storage unit, 8...information storage unit, 11...position detection sensor, 12...LCD, 13...magnetic plate, 21...housing, 21a...bottom surface, 22...magnet, 23...push button, 23S...opening / closing switch, 104...position detection circuit, 107...storage unit, 108...near-field wireless communication unit, 109...communication unit, 211...housing main body, 212...locking support unit, WD...window

Claims

1. The system comprises a position indicating device and an information processing device having a sensor for detecting the position indicated by the position indicating device and a display screen. The position indicating device is, An interaction unit provided within the housing, which performs signal interaction with the sensor of the information processing device, A locking member for locking the housing to the display screen of the information processing device, Equipped with, The aforementioned information processing device is A position detection circuit detects the position indicated by the position indicator device, which is locked to the display screen by the locking member, based on the interaction between the sensor and the interaction unit of the position indicator device. A control circuit controls the display screen to display a predetermined display image based on the position indicated by the position indicator device detected by the position detection circuit, A display system characterized by comprising the following features.

2. The information processing device includes a plate made of magnetic material on the back side of the display screen. The locking member of the position indicator device is configured to use a magnetic member that magnetically attracts and couples with the plate portion in order to lock the housing to the display screen. The display system according to feature 1.

3. The interaction unit of the position indicator device and the sensor of the information processing device interact by electrostatic coupling. The display system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is the same as the one described in claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned predetermined display image is displayed as an image occupying a predetermined area on the display screen. The control circuit of the information processing device displays the predetermined display image based on the position detected by the position detection circuit, such that the predetermined area is within the display screen. The display system according to feature 1.

5. The aforementioned predetermined display image is displayed as an image occupying a predetermined area on the display screen. The control circuit of the information processing device changes the size of the predetermined area based on the change in position detected by the position detection circuit. The display system according to feature 1.

6. The information processing device includes a rotation detection unit that detects the rotation of the position indicator device while it is locked to the display screen, based on the change in the indicated position detected by the position detection circuit. The control circuit changes the size of the display image based on the rotation detection result from the rotation detection unit. The display system according to feature 1.

7. The aforementioned predetermined display image is displayed as an image occupying a predetermined area on the display screen. The information processing device includes a rotation detection unit that detects the rotation of the position indicator device while it is locked to the display screen, based on the change in the indicated position detected by the position detection circuit. The control circuit changes the size of the predetermined area based on the rotation detection result from the rotation detection unit. The display system according to feature 1.

8. The position indicating device includes a storage unit for unique identification information and a transmission means for transmitting the identification information to the information processing device. The information processing device displays the display image corresponding to the identification information received from the position indicator device. The display system according to feature 1.

9. The transmission means of the position indicating device transmits the identification information to the information processing device via the interaction unit and the sensor. The display system according to claim 8, characterized in that way.

10. The position indicating device and the information processing device are equipped with a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication. The transmission means of the position indicating device is composed of the wireless communication unit of the position indicating device. The display system according to claim 8, characterized in that way.

11. The position indicating device includes a storage unit for unique identification information and a transmission means for transmitting the identification information to the information processing device. The information processing device has an application stored in correspondence with the identification information of the position indicator device, and launches the application corresponding to the identification information based on the identification information received from the position indicator device. The display system according to feature 1.

12. The position indicator device includes a switch operating section and a transmission means for transmitting the operating state of the switch operating section. The information processing device controls whether or not to display the display image based on the operating state of the switch operation unit received from the position indicator device. The display system according to feature 1.

13. The transmission means of the position indicator device transmits the operating state of the switch operation unit to the information processing unit via the interaction unit and the sensor. The display system according to claim 12, characterized in that way.

14. The position indicating device and the information processing device are equipped with a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication. The transmission means of the position indicating device is composed of the wireless communication unit of the position indicating device. The display system according to claim 12, characterized in that way.

15. The position indicating device comprises a receiving unit that receives information sent from the information processing device and a storage unit that stores the information received by the receiving unit. The display system according to feature 1.

16. The interaction unit of the position indicator device and the sensor of the information processing device interact by electrostatic coupling. The interaction section of the position indicator device comprises a first electrode for transmitting a signal and a second electrode that constitutes the receiving section. The display system according to claim 15, characterized in that it is the same as described above.

17. The position indicating device includes a wireless communication unit for transmitting the information stored in the storage unit to the outside. The display system according to claim 15, characterized in that it is the same as described above.

18. The position indicating device transmits the information stored in the storage unit to the information processing device via the interaction unit and the sensor. The display system according to claim 15, characterized in that it is the same as described above.

19. The aforementioned predetermined display image is displayed as an image occupying a predetermined area on the display screen. The control circuit of the information processing device changes the position of the predetermined area on the display screen in accordance with the change in position detected by the position detection circuit. The display system according to feature 1.

20. The interaction unit of the position indicator device and the sensor of the information processing device perform electromagnetic induction-based interaction. The display system according to feature 1.

Images