Handwriting input apparatus

Abstract

To provide a handwriting input apparatus capable of reliably managing information displayed based on handwriting input and electronic data corresponding to the displayed information in association with each other.SOLUTION: A handwriting input apparatus comprises: a display unit for displaying handwritten input information; a position detection sensor for detecting a position corresponding to the handwritten input information; a memory for storing electronic data corresponding to the handwritten input information; and a control circuit. The handwritten input information can be visually erased all at once in response to a predetermined operation by a user. The control circuit sets delimiter information for electronic data corresponding to a handwritten input operation on a display surface, which is stored in the memory, in response to the predetermined operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a handwriting input device. [Background technology]

[0002] Instead of handwriting input on paper using a writing instrument such as a ballpoint pen or pencil, it is becoming common, along with the demand for paperless systems, to use an electronic pen to input information into an input device such as a tablet terminal that has a position detection device unit equipped with a position detection sensor that detects the position indicated by the electronic pen, and then store the input handwritten information as electronic data.

[0003] In this case, it is required that the handwritten information input by the electronic pen be visually confirmed by the user. To this end, the tablet terminal is provided with a display panel superimposed on the position detection sensor and a display control circuit, which controls the display panel to display a display image (such as a writing path) corresponding to the coordinate data of the position indicated by the electronic pen detected by the position detection device.

[0004] In this case, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display is used as the display panel.

[0005] However, such tablet terminals have the problem of being expensive because they require a display panel and a display control circuit to display handwritten information based on the coordinate information of the position indicated by the electronic pen detected by the position detection device.

[0006] On the other hand, for example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2018-37033 A) proposes a handwriting input device consisting of a board device configured so that a paper sheet can be clipped onto a flat board that houses a position detection device unit equipped with a position detection sensor inside, and an electronic pen that has writing implement functions such as a ballpoint pen function and interacts with the position detection sensor via signals.

[0007] In this handwriting input device, when handwriting is input onto paper using the writing tool function of the electronic pen, the coordinate information of the handwritten input trajectory is detected by the position detection device unit via a position detection sensor, and the detected coordinate information is output to, for example, a personal computer for use.

[0008] With this handwriting input device, the writing function of the electronic pen is used to draw the handwritten trajectory on paper, eliminating the need for a display panel for displaying and confirming handwritten information as described above, thereby reducing costs and providing great convenience. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-37033 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, the handwriting input device of Patent Document 1 requires the electronic pen to have a function of a writing implement such as a ballpoint pen in addition to the electronic pen function, which causes problems such as a complex configuration of the electronic pen and high costs. Also, while the handwriting input device of Patent Document 1 is convenient for storing paper on which handwritten input traces are formed, in applications that do not require storing paper, it is necessary to replace paper as needed, which is troublesome.

[0011] Meanwhile, there are known handwriting input display boards that can display information (image information) such as handwritten characters and drawn images on the display surface and that can electrically erase the displayed information. For example, display boards using pressure-sensitive cholesteric liquid crystal are already commercially available (e.g., the pressure-sensitive cholesteric liquid crystal tablet "Boogie Board (registered trademark)" manufactured by Improv Electronics, Inc.).

[0012] This display board has the advantage that the images displayed on the display surface can be erased instantly by pressing a button that applies a low voltage pulse to the cholesteric liquid crystal layer. In other words, pressing the button has the same effect as replacing the paper.

[0013] Furthermore, by using this display board, even if the electronic pen does not have the function of a writing implement as in Patent Document 1, by applying pressure to the first substrate with the tip of the electronic pen, that is, by performing writing or drawing input, handwritten input information can be displayed on the display surface.

[0014] Therefore, by combining this type of display board with a position detection sensor that detects the position indicated by the electronic pen, it is possible to realize a handwriting input device that does not require paper replacement like the handwriting input device of Patent Document 1, and that does not require the electronic pen to have a writing instrument function.

[0015] In this case, the handwriting input device is provided with a memory for temporarily storing electronic data when writing or drawing on the display board with the electronic pen detected by the position detection sensor, and the electronic data stored in the memory is transferred to an external device such as a personal computer at an appropriate timing. The electronic data includes position coordinate data on the display surface when writing or drawing on the display surface with the electronic pen, pen pressure data, etc.

[0016] In this type of handwriting input device, it is important to be able to manage one page of display information on the display board in association with the electronic data corresponding to that display information, but how to achieve this becomes a problem.

[0017] For example, if the operation button for erasing the above-mentioned displayed information and the button for sending the electronic data stored in the memory are provided separately, it may become impossible to determine the correspondence between one page of displayed information and the electronic data in the memory to be sent. That is, if the operation button for erasing is operated to erase the displayed information on the display surface, and then handwriting input is started on the display board before the electronic data is sent, the electronic data corresponding to the input image will be stored in the memory and superimposed on the electronic data corresponding to the image of the previous page.

[0018] Also, sometimes people press the erase button to erase the information displayed on the display, but forget to press the send button. Furthermore, it is also necessary to consider the possibility that, even if they press the send button and erase the memory contents, intending to send the electronic data stored in memory, there may be a problem with the communication status or the communication connection with the recipient is not established, and the transmitted data does not reach the recipient's computer, etc. In such a situation, the electronic data corresponding to the information displayed on the display board will be lost and cannot be restored.

[0019] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a handwriting input device that can reliably manage information displayed based on handwritten input in association with electronic data corresponding to that information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0020] To solve the above problems, a display unit having a display surface and displaying handwritten input information on the display surface; a position detection sensor for detecting a position corresponding to the handwritten input information, the position detection sensor being arranged so that a position detection area thereof overlaps with a display area of ​​the display surface; a memory for storing electronic data based on the position corresponding to the handwritten input information detected by the position detection sensor; a control circuit; A handwriting input device comprising: the display unit is configured to display the handwritten information on the display surface in response to a handwritten input operation on the display surface, and the handwritten information displayed on the display surface is configured to be visually erasable all at once in response to a predetermined operation by a user; The control circuit sets delimiter information for electronic data corresponding to the handwriting input operation on the display surface, the electronic data being stored in the memory, in response to the predetermined operation. The present invention provides a handwriting input device characterized by the above features.

[0021] In the handwriting input device having the above-described configuration, when a user inputs handwriting on the display surface, the handwritten input information is displayed on the display surface. The handwritten input information displayed on the display surface can be visually erased all at once based on a predetermined operation by the user.

[0022] A position detection sensor is arranged so as to overlap the display area of ​​the display surface of the display unit, so that the position input by handwriting by the user is detected by the position detection sensor, and electronic data based on the detected position information is stored in memory.

[0023] When the user performs a predetermined operation to visually erase the information displayed on the display unit, the control circuit sets delimiter information for the electronic data stored in the memory that corresponds to the handwritten input operation on the display surface.

[0024] According to the handwriting input device having the above-described configuration, delimiter information is set in the electronic data in the memory when a predetermined operation is performed to visually erase the information displayed on the display surface. Therefore, when new handwritten information is subsequently input on the display surface, the data stored in the memory is distinguished from the electronic data of the new handwritten input information by the delimiter information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a system using a first embodiment of a handwriting input device according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a display unit of a first embodiment of a handwriting input device according to the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is an exploded perspective view for explaining a configuration example of a first embodiment of a handwriting input device according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the electrical configuration of a first embodiment of a handwriting input device according to the present invention; [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the flow of operation of the first embodiment of the handwriting input device according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the flow of operation of the first embodiment of the handwriting input device according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the flow of operation of the first embodiment of the handwriting input device according to the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining the flow of operation of the first embodiment of the handwriting input device according to the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a second embodiment of a handwriting input device according to the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a system using an embodiment of a handwriting input device according to the present invention; [Figure 11]10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining another example of the configuration of the display unit of the embodiment of the handwriting input device according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a handwriting input device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0027] [First embodiment] 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an example of the configuration of a handwritten information management system including an embodiment of a handwritten input device according to the present invention. This handwritten information management system comprises a handwritten input device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, an electronic pen 2 for inputting handwritten information to the handwritten input device 1, a mobile terminal 3 capable of communicating with the handwritten input device 1, and a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as PC) 4 capable of communicating with the mobile terminal 3 and constituting a server device for managing handwritten input information.

[0028] The handwriting input device 1 accepts handwritten input information by a user using an electronic pen 2, and visually presents (displays) the handwritten input information to the user as an image such as a writing path image or a drawing image, and also has the function of generating electronic data of the handwritten input information, temporarily storing it in memory, and transferring the electronic data stored in memory to a mobile terminal 3 at an appropriate time.

[0029] The handwriting input device 1 has a thin, rectangular, plate-like appearance. Fig. 3 is an exploded view illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the handwriting input device 1 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the handwriting input device 1 has a surface on which handwriting is input as the upper surface, and includes, in order from the top in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface, a display board unit 11 (Fig. 3(A)), a position detection sensor 12 (Fig. 3(B)) for detecting a position indicated by the electronic pen 2, a shield sheet 13 (Fig. 3(C)), and a case 14 (Fig. 3(D)).

[0030] The case 14 is made of, for example, synthetic resin or metal, and is configured as a thin box having a storage space 14a with an opening on the top surface. The display board unit 11, the position detection sensor 12, and the shielding sheet 13 are stored in the storage space 14a of the case 14, stacked one on top of the other.

[0031] The display board unit 11 is an example of a display unit, and includes a display surface 11D that displays information such as handwritten information and drawing information handwritten by a user as an image by changing a physical phenomenon in response to the handwritten input. In the following description, the information displayed on the display surface 11D will be referred to as an image displayed on the display surface 11D.

[0032] When a predetermined operation is performed on the handwriting input device 1, the images displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 can be visually erased all at once from the entire display area of ​​the display surface 11D.

[0033] In this embodiment, the display board unit 11 is configured using a pressure-sensitive cholesteric liquid crystal layer. FIG. 2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the display board unit 11. In the display board unit 11, two flexible transparent substrates 111 and 112 are arranged with a predetermined gap between them. Electrodes 113 and 114 are arranged on the opposing surfaces of the two transparent substrates 111 and 112, respectively. A pressure-sensitive cholesteric liquid crystal layer 115 is arranged in the gap between the electrodes 113 and 114 of the two transparent substrates 111 and 112. In this example, the display surface 11D is the upper surface of the transparent substrate 111. Therefore, the pressure-sensitive cholesteric liquid crystal layer 115 is arranged facing the display surface 11D.

[0034] In this display board unit 11, when pressure is applied to the display surface 11D by the tip of the electronic pen 2 or the like as shown in FIG. 2, the flexible transparent substrates 111 and 112 are distorted, causing a change in the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the cholesteric liquid crystal layer 115 in response to the applied pressure. This changes the reflectance of the liquid crystal at the position where the alignment change occurs due to the application of pressure, and a visible image is formed and maintained on the display board unit 11, appearing as a visually recognizable image on the display surface 11D. In this way, the reflectance of the liquid crystal changes at the portion where pressure is applied on the display board unit 11, and an image is formed on the display surface 11D without consuming power, and is maintained by the bistability of the liquid crystal. Note that the display board unit 11 can also form and display an image when pressure is applied to the display surface 11D by something other than the electronic pen 2.

[0035] When a low pulse voltage is applied between electrodes 113 and 114 of this display board unit 11, the liquid crystal molecules of the pressure-sensitive cholesteric liquid crystal layer 115 are aligned in a predetermined pattern, thereby visually erasing all of the images held on the display surface 11D.

[0036] In this example, the position detection sensor 12 is provided on the back side of the display board unit 11, with the display area of ​​the display surface 11D and the position detection area of ​​the position detection sensor 12 overlapping each other. Therefore, the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 also serves as an input surface for inputting a position instruction to the position detection sensor 12.

[0037] The position detection sensor 12 is configured to detect the position of the pen tip of the electronic pen 2 when handwritten input is made, and generate electronic data corresponding to the handwritten input information using the detected position coordinates as time-series data. In this example, an electromagnetic induction type position detection sensor is used as the position detection sensor 12. The configuration of this position detection sensor 12 will be described in detail later, but it is configured with a number of loop coils that transmit signals to the electronic pen 2 and receive signals from the electronic pen 2.

[0038] Shielding sheet 13 is formed by laminating an electromagnetic sheet made of a magnetic material onto a conductive sheet made of, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), zinc oxide, tin oxide, or the like, and serves to prevent unwanted signals from entering position detection sensor 12 and to eliminate leakage of magnetic flux generated from position detection sensor 12. Shielding sheet 13 is provided so as to cover the entire surface of position detection sensor 12 opposite to display surface 11D, which also serves as an instruction input surface.

[0039] 3(C), a position detection circuit 30 and a device control circuit 40, which constitute an electronic circuit unit, are provided on the opposite side of the shielding sheet 13 from the position detection sensor 12. The position detection circuit 30 generates electronic data including coordinate data of the position indicated by the electronic pen 2, writing pressure information, etc., based on the output from the position detection sensor 12.

[0040] The device control circuit 40 temporarily stores the electronic data generated by the position detection circuit 30 in a memory and realizes a control function of transmitting the stored electronic data to the mobile terminal 3 at an appropriate timing. For this purpose, the device control circuit 40 includes a memory and a transmission circuit, as will be described later, and a transmission antenna AT is provided for the transmission circuit. In this example, the transmission circuit is configured as a communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication according to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, and the handwriting input device 1 and the mobile terminal 3 communicate through a wireless communication path using this short-range wireless communication. The transmission antenna AT is provided outside the area covered by the shielding sheet 13 so that the electronic data can be appropriately transmitted to the mobile terminal 3.

[0041] The device control circuit 40 also includes an erasure circuit that generates a low voltage pulse for erasing an image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11, and controls the timing of erasure of the image displayed on the display surface 11D by the low voltage pulse from this erasure circuit.

[0042] 1 and 3(A), the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment includes an operation button 21. In the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment, the operation button 21 constitutes a means for performing a predetermined operation to visually erase all images displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 at once.

[0043] In this embodiment, the operation button 21 also functions as a power button for the handwriting input device 1, and is configured so that the power to the handwriting input device 1 is repeatedly turned on and off each time the operation button 21 is pressed.

[0044] In addition, in the handwriting input device 1 of this embodiment, the operation button 21 is configured to also function as a transfer button that generates a trigger to transmit (transfer) electronic data stored in the memory to the mobile terminal 3.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3A, the operation button 21 is provided on a panel 20 outside the display area of ​​the display board unit 11, in this example, in the area above the display board unit 11.

[0046] In this embodiment, the panel 20 is provided with a power indicator 22 that notifies the user that the power is on or off, a communication indicator 23 that notifies the user of the communication status with the mobile terminal 3, and a memory indicator 24 that notifies the user of whether electronic data remains stored in the memory when the power is off. In this example, these indicators 22, 23, and 24 are configured with LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), which are an example of semiconductor light-emitting elements that indicate the power on or off state by emitting light. Furthermore, in this example, the panel 20 is provided with a beep speaker 25, which is an example of sound emitting means for notifying the user of the communication status and the memory storage status by sound.

[0047] The operation buttons 21, indicators 22, 23, 24 and beep speaker 25 provided on the panel 20 are connected to the device control circuit 40 via the connector 15 (FIG. 3(C)).

[0048] Next, the mobile terminal 3 has a function of receiving electronic data transmitted from the handwriting input device 1 and transferring it to the personal computer 4. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 3 performs predetermined processing on the electronic data received from the handwriting input device 1, such as adding page numbers to the electronic data based on delimiter information, before transferring the data to the personal computer 4. The mobile terminal 3 and the personal computer 4 are connected via a communication network 5. The communication network 5 can be configured to include a public network including the Internet and a mobile phone network. The communication network 5 may also be a wireless LAN using Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication network 5 may also be configured as a LAN that connects the personal computer 4 and the mobile terminal 3 via a wired connection.

[0049] It should be noted that the handwriting input device 1 may be configured to directly transmit electronic data to the personal computer 4. In this case, the processing function of the mobile terminal 3 may be provided by either the handwriting input device 1 or the personal computer 4.

[0050] [Example of electrical configuration of handwriting input device 1] 4 is a diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the electronic pen 2 in this embodiment, and an example of the electronic circuit configuration of the handwriting input device 1 that detects position and writing pressure by electromagnetic induction with the electronic pen 2. The handwriting input device 1 in this embodiment is equipped with a battery (not shown in FIG. 4) as a power source, and as described above, has a configuration in which the power is alternately turned on and off by pressing the operation button 21.

[0051] As described above, the handwriting input device 1 in the example of Figure 4 includes a display board unit 11, a position detection sensor 12, an operation button 21, indicators 22, 23, 24, and a beep speaker 25, as well as a position detection circuit 30 connected to the position detection sensor 12 and a device control circuit 40.

[0052] The position detection sensor 12 is formed by stacking an X-axis direction loop coil group 121 and a Y-axis direction loop coil group 122, and is equipped with a selection circuit 123 that sequentially selects one of the two loop coil groups 121, 122.

[0053] The electronic pen 2 is equipped with a signal control circuit configured by an IC 200, and is configured to acquire a drive voltage for driving this IC 200 from an excitation signal transmitted from an excitation coil 124 provided in the position detection sensor 12 of the handwriting input device 1. In Fig. 4, as an example, the loop coil groups 121 and 122 of the position detection sensor 12 are described as being used only to receive an electromagnetically coupled signal from the electronic pen 2, but by electromagnetically coupling with the electronic pen 2, it is also possible to drive a signal control circuit provided in the electronic pen 2 instead of the excitation coil 124. In addition, signals such as predetermined control data are transmitted to the signal control circuit provided in the electronic pen 2.

[0054] In the position detection sensor 12 of the example in Fig. 4, an excitation coil 124 is disposed so as to surround the X-axis direction loop coil group 121 and the Y-axis direction loop coil group 122. In the example in Fig. 4, the excitation coil 124 has two turns, but in practice it has a greater number of turns, for example, 8 to 10 turns. As shown in Fig. 4, the excitation coil 124 is connected to a drive circuit 32, and the drive circuit 32 is connected to an oscillation circuit 31 that oscillates at a predetermined frequency fo.

[0055] The drive circuit 32 is controlled by a position detection control unit 300, which is configured by, for example, a microprocessor and is provided in the position detection circuit 30. The position detection control unit 300 controls the drive circuit 32 to control the supply of an oscillation signal with frequency fo from the oscillation circuit 31 to the excitation coil 124, and controls signal transmission from the excitation coil 124 to the electronic pen 2.

[0056] The selection circuit 123 selects one loop coil under the selection control of the position detection control unit 300. The induced voltage generated in the loop coil selected by the selection circuit 123 is supplied to the position detection circuit 30. The position detection circuit 30 performs processing to detect the coordinates (X coordinate and Y coordinate) of the position indicated by the electronic pen 2 under the control of the position detection control unit 300, and the position detection control unit 300 generates coordinate data of the position indicated by the electronic pen 2.

[0057] The position detection control unit 300 also detects the writing pressure by detecting the intermittent signal from the electronic pen 2 as a digital signal of several bits, separate from detecting the position pointed to by the electronic pen 2. The position detection control unit 300 then generates electronic data by associating the detected information on the position pointed to by the electronic pen 2 with the detected information on the writing pressure, and supplies the electronic data to the device control circuit 40.

[0058] The device control circuit 40 includes a memory 41 that stores and holds electronic data from the position detection circuit 30, a short-range communication unit 42 for wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3, an erasure circuit 43 that generates a low-voltage pulse to erase the image on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11, and a control circuit 44 that is configured by, for example, a microprocessor. As described above, the device control circuit 40 is connected to the operation button 21, the indicators 22, 23, 24, and the beep speaker 25.

[0059] The control circuit 44 of the device control circuit 40 is constantly supplied with power voltage from a battery. However, when the power is off, the control circuit 44 is in a standby state to save power. The memory 41 is configured as a non-volatile memory that retains stored electronic data unless it is erased. Note that the memory 41 may be configured as a volatile memory with constant backup power from a battery.

[0060] The control circuit 44 of the device control circuit 40 monitors the pressing of the operation button 21, and in response to the pressing, performs power on / off control, control for erasing the image on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11, and executes processing in the memory 41. In this case, the control circuit 44 also monitors the communication status with the mobile terminal 3 via the short-range communication unit 42 when the operation button 21 is pressed, and the storage status of electronic data in the memory 41, and executes different processing depending on the monitoring results.

[0061] The control circuit 44 controls the light emission state of the power indicator 22 based on the monitoring result of the pressing operation of the operation button 21, and also controls the light emission state of the communication indicator 23 based on the monitoring result of the communication status with the mobile terminal 3 via the short-range communication unit 42. The control circuit 44 also controls the light emission mode of the memory indicator 24 based on the communication status with the mobile terminal 3 via the short-range communication unit 42 and the storage status of electronic data in the memory 41. Furthermore, the control circuit 44 controls the light emission mode of the indicators 22 to 24, and also controls the emission of a beep from the beep speaker 25 at the required timing.

[0062] The circuit configuration of the electronic pen 2 is as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 4. That is, a capacitor 202 is connected in parallel to a coil 201 serving as an inductance element, thereby forming a resonant circuit 203. A switch 204 is connected in parallel to this resonant circuit 203. This switch 204 is configured to be controlled to be turned on and off by an IC 200. When this switch 204 is off, the resonant circuit 203 resonates in response to a signal from the position detection sensor 12. However, when the switch 204 is on, the capacitor 202 connected in parallel to the coil 201 is short-circuited, and the resonant circuit 203 no longer resonates in response to a signal from the position detection sensor 12.

[0063] The IC 200 is configured to operate on a power supply voltage Vcc obtained by rectifying an AC signal received by a resonant circuit 203 from the position detection sensor 12 of the handwriting input device 1 through electromagnetic induction, using a rectifier circuit (power supply circuit) 207 consisting of a diode 205 and a capacitor 206. The IC 200 is connected to the resonant circuit 203 via a capacitor 208, and monitors the operating status of the resonant circuit 203. By monitoring the operating status of the resonant circuit 203, the IC 200 can detect the state of electromagnetic coupling with the excitation coil 124 of the position detection sensor 12, or signals such as control data transmitted from the position detection sensor 12 using two loop coil groups 121 and 122, which are not described in this example, and perform desired operation control.

[0064] The electronic pen 2 of this embodiment includes a pen pressure detection circuit made up of a pressure-sensitive element that detects the pen pressure applied to the pen tip as, for example, the capacitance Cv of a variable capacitor. As shown in FIG. 4, this variable capacitor is connected to IC 200, which is configured to detect the capacitance Cv corresponding to the pen pressure. IC 200 detects the pen pressure of the electronic pen 2 from the value of the capacitance Cv. IC 200 then converts the detected pen pressure into, for example, an 8-bit digital signal, and controls switch 204 with the digital signal corresponding to the pen pressure, thereby transmitting the pen pressure information as additional information to position detection sensor 12 of handwriting input device 1.

[0065] The position detection operation and the writing pressure information detection operation of the electronic pen 2 and the position detection circuit 30 of the handwriting input device 1 configured as above will be described.

[0066] The position detection control unit 300 first drives the drive circuit 32 to transmit a signal from the excitation coil 124 to the electronic pen 2 for a predetermined time. Next, the position detection control unit 300 sequentially selects one loop coil from the X-axis direction loop coil group 121 using the selection circuit 123 and transmits a burst signal to the electronic pen 2. The electronic pen 2 receives the burst signal using the resonance circuit 203 and returns it to the position detection sensor 12 of the handwriting input device 1. The position detection control unit 300 detects the returned burst signal as a position detection signal and thereby obtains the X coordinate value of the position indicated by the electronic pen 2. Next, the position detection control unit 300 performs the same process on the Y-axis direction loop coil group 122 to obtain the Y coordinate value of the position indicated by the electronic pen 2.

[0067] After detecting the pointing position of the electronic pen 2, the position detection control unit 300 of the position detection circuit 30 detects the writing pressure information as additional information from the electronic pen 2, and then transmits and receives continuously from the excitation coil 124 for a predetermined period of time or more, and then continues transmitting and receiving at the same timing as when detecting coordinates, a number of times corresponding to the number of bits of the digital signal of the additional information.

[0068] Meanwhile, IC200 of electronic pen 2 controls the on / off of switch 204 in synchronization with the transmission and reception of signals from position detection sensor 12 of handwriting input device 1, using a digital signal of additional information consisting of writing pressure information obtained in response to the capacitance Cv of the variable capacitor constituting the writing pressure detection means. When switch 204 is off, resonant circuit 203 can return the signal transmitted from position detection sensor 12 to position detection sensor 12, and the loop coil of position detection sensor 12 receives this signal. On the other hand, when switch 204 is on, resonant circuit 203 is in a state in which resonant operation is prohibited, and therefore no signal is returned from resonant circuit 203 to position detection sensor 12, and the loop coil of position detection sensor 12 does not receive the signal.

[0069] The position detection control unit 300 of the position detection circuit 30 determines whether or not a received signal is present a number of times corresponding to the number of bits of the digital signal of the additional information, thereby receiving a multi-bit digital signal corresponding to the writing pressure information and detecting the writing pressure information from the electronic pen 2. Therefore, the electronic pen 2 transmits the writing pressure information to the position detection sensor 12 of the handwriting input device 1 as an ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulated signal.

[0070] [Example of processing operation of handwriting input device 1] <Overview of operation> An outline of the operation of the handwriting information management system described above will now be described. In the handwriting input device 1 of this embodiment, when the operation button 21 is pressed while the power is off, power is supplied to the electronic circuit, and the power indicator 22 notifies the user that the power has been supplied.

[0071] When the handwriting input device 1 is powered on and handwritten input is made on the display surface 11D using the electronic pen 2, an image corresponding to the handwritten input is formed and displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11, and the position of the pen tip of the electronic pen 2 is detected by the position detection sensor 12, and electronic data corresponding to the display image on the display surface 11D, consisting of time-series data of the detected position information, is stored and held in the memory 41.

[0072] When the user determines that handwriting input is complete, he or she presses the operation button 21 of the handwriting input device 1 again. In this example, the handwriting input device 1 then determines whether short-range wireless communication is possible between the device and the mobile terminal 3. As described above, this example uses short-range wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, so the handwriting input device 1 determines whether short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible depending on whether pairing has been established for communication.

[0073] When the handwriting input device 1 determines that communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible (confirms that communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible), it adds delimiter information, for example, page break information, to the electronic data stored in the memory 41 and transmits it to the mobile terminal 3. At this time, the communication indicator 23 is turned on to notify the user that short-range wireless communication is possible.

[0074] Then, when the handwriting input device 1 completes transmission of the electronic data stored in the memory 41, it turns off the communication indicator 23 and erases the electronic data from the memory 41. In this embodiment, after erasing the electronic data from the memory 41, the handwriting input device 1 supplies a low-voltage pulse from the erasing circuit 43 to the display board unit 11, so that the image formed and displayed on the display surface 11D is visually erased all at once from the entire display surface. Thereafter, in this embodiment, the handwriting input device 1 turns off the power.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the handwriting input device 1 determines that communication with the mobile terminal 3 is not possible (it cannot be confirmed that communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible), the handwriting input device 1 does not delete the electronic data to which delimiter information has been added from the memory 41, but keeps it stored in the memory 41. In this embodiment, the handwriting input device 1 notifies the user that short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 is not possible by flashing the communication indicator 23, and also flashes the memory indicator 24 to notify the user that the electronic data is being stored in the memory 41 without being transmitted.

[0076] Thereafter, the handwriting input device 1 supplies a low-voltage pulse from the erasing circuit 43 to the display board unit 11, thereby visually erasing the image formed and displayed on the display surface 11D from the entire display surface at once. Then, the power is turned off, and the power supply to the position detection sensor 12, the position detection circuit 30, and the device control circuit 40 is turned off. Note that the control circuit 44 may be configured to maintain the display control of flashing the communication indicator 23 and the memory indicator 24 even after the power is turned off.

[0077] When the operation button 21 is pressed after new electronic data resulting from new handwritten input has been additionally stored in the memory 41, or when the operation button 21 is pressed before the new electronic data is stored in the memory 41, the electronic data that remains stored in the memory 41 is transmitted from the handwriting input device 1 to the mobile terminal 3 together with the new electronic data, if communication is possible. After the transmission is complete, the electronic data is erased from the memory 41.

[0078] In addition, in the handwriting input device 1 of this embodiment, when the operation button 21 is pressed, new delimiter information is also added to the electronic data of the image resulting from new handwriting input, making it possible to distinguish it from electronic data that has remained stored in memory without being transmitted.

[0079] When the operation button 21 is pressed while electronic data remains stored in the memory 41, if communication is not possible, and there is sufficient remaining capacity in the memory 41, new electronic data to which delimiter information has been added is further stored in the memory 41. At this time, the fact that the electronic data remains stored in the memory 41 without being transferred to the mobile terminal 3 is indicated by the flashing of the communication indicator 23 and memory indicator 24, in the same manner as described above.

[0080] In the handwriting input device 1 of this embodiment, when old electronic data remains stored in the memory 41 after the operation button 21 is pressed to turn on the power, this state is notified by the flashing of the memory indicator 24. Therefore, before new electronic data is stored, the operation button 21 is operated in a manner different from the normal operation manner, for example, a long press of the operation button 21, by the user. When the operation button 21 is pressed and held, the communication status is confirmed and the old electronic data stored in the memory 41 can be transmitted to the mobile terminal 3. In this case, a long press operation is defined as a press of the operation button 21 for a short period of time equal to or shorter than a first period of time, and a press of the operation button 21 for a second period of time longer than the first period of time. When the operation button 21 is pressed and held, the image on the display board unit 11 is not erased because it is not necessary, and the power remains on.

[0081] In addition, in the handwriting input device 1 of this embodiment, when the operation button 21 is pressed and communication is not possible, it is determined whether there is no remaining capacity in the memory 41 and whether it is difficult to store new electronic data, and if it is determined that such a situation exists, the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 is not erased, the power of the handwriting input device 1 is left on, and the memory indicator 24 and the beep speaker 25 are used to notify the user of this.

[0082] When the user receives this notification, he / she creates a situation in which communication is possible between the handwriting input device 1 and the mobile terminal 3. Then, the handwriting input device 1 notifies the user by the communication indicator 23 that communication is now possible, and the user can then press and hold the operation button 21 in this example to transmit the electronic data stored in the memory 41 to the mobile terminal 3.

[0083] In this case, even if the operation button 21 is pressed and held, the power may be turned off without leaving the power on and without erasing the image on the display surface 11D. In this case, the memory indicator 24 notifies that electronic data is stored in the memory 41, and so when the operation button 21 is pressed and held normally to turn on the power, the user will know that the electronic data in the memory 41 needs to be sent, coupled with the image being displayed on the display surface 11D, and so the user may be configured to create an environment in which communication is possible, press and hold the operation button 21, send the electronic data in the memory 41 to the mobile terminal 3, and erase the displayed image.

[0084] <Description of Operation Flow of Handwriting Input Device 1 of First Embodiment> Next, an example of the flow of processing operations of the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 5 to 8. Note that the processing of each step in Figures 5 to 8 will be described assuming that the control circuit 44 of the device control circuit 40 executes the processing in accordance with a software program.

[0085] The examples of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 are shown as starting from a state in which the handwriting input device 1 is powered off.

[0086] 5, the control circuit 44 first determines whether the operation button 21 has been pressed (step S101), and if it determines that the operation button 21 has not been pressed, waits for it to be pressed. If it determines in step S101 that the operation button 21 has been pressed, the control circuit 44 turns on the power to the handwriting input device 1 and turns on the power indicator 22 (step S102).

[0087] Next, the control circuit 44 determines whether electronic data is stored in the memory 41 (step S103), and if it determines that electronic data is stored in the memory 41, it causes the memory indicator 24 to flash and emits a beep from the beep speaker 25 (step S104).

[0088] Next, the control circuit 44 determines whether the operation button 21 has been pressed and held down (step S105), and if it determines that the operation button 21 has not been pressed and held down, it determines whether or not an instruction input on the display surface 11D by the electronic pen 2 has been detected (step S106). If it determines in step S106 that an instruction input on the display surface 11D by the electronic pen 2 has not been detected, the control circuit 44 returns the process to step S105.

[0089] If it is determined in step S105 that the operation button 21 has been pressed and held, the control circuit 44 checks whether wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible based on whether pairing for communication between the short-range communication unit 42 and the mobile terminal 3 has been confirmed (step S121 in FIG. 6), and determines whether wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible (step S122).

[0090] Then, when it is determined in step S122 that wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible, the control circuit 44 transmits the electronic data stored in the memory 41 to the mobile terminal 3 (step S123). Then, the control circuit 44 determines whether the transmission is complete (step S124), and when it determines that the transmission is complete, it erases the electronic data stored in the memory 41 (step S125). The control circuit 44 also turns off the memory indicator 24 that has been flashing (step S126).

[0091] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S124 that the transmission of the electronic data has not been completed, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of transmission (step S127), and if it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed since the start of transmission, the control circuit 44 returns to step S123 and continues transmitting the electronic data stored in memory 41.

[0092] Then, when it is determined in step S127 that a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the start of transmission, the control circuit 44 determines that the transmission of the electronic data has failed and stops the transmission (step S128), blinks the communication indicator 23, and emits a beep from the beep speaker 25 (step S129).

[0093] When it is determined in step S122 that wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 is not possible, the control circuit 44 also determines that wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 is not possible, and proceeds to step S129, where it blinks the communication indicator 23 and emits a beep from the beep speaker 25. Then, the control circuit 44 keeps the electronic data stored in the memory 41 (step S130).

[0094] 5, after step S126 and step S130, the control circuit 44 proceeds to step S107 in Fig. 5, where it determines whether or not it has detected an instruction input on the display surface 11D by the electronic pen 2. Furthermore, when it determines in step S103 in Fig. 5 that electronic data is not stored in the memory 41, the control circuit 44 proceeds to step S107, where it determines whether or not it has detected an instruction input on the display surface 11D by the electronic pen 2.

[0095] Then, when an instruction input by the electronic pen 2 on the display surface 11D is detected in step S106 of FIG. 5, and when an instruction input by the electronic pen 2 on the display surface 11D is detected in step S107, the control circuit 44 determines whether the instruction input by the electronic pen 2 is an erasure input such as a double line superimposed on a previously input portion (step S108).

[0096] If it is determined in step S108 that the input is not a deletion input, the control circuit 44 detects the coordinate data of the position designated by the electronic pen 2, and stores and holds electronic data including the coordinate data and writing pressure data in the memory 41 (step S109).If it is determined in step S108 that the input is a deletion input, the control circuit 44 deletes from the memory 41 the electronic data of the previous designation input on which the deletion input, such as a double line, is superimposed (step S110).

[0097] Then, after step S109 or step S110, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the operation button 21 has been pressed (step S111). Even when it is determined in step S107 that an instruction input on the display surface 11D by the electronic pen 2 has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S111 to determine whether or not the operation button 21 has been pressed. When it is determined in step S111 that the operation button 21 has not been pressed, the control circuit 44 returns the process to step S107 and repeats the processes from step S107 onwards.

[0098] Then, when it is determined in step S111 that the operation button 21 has been pressed, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not there is electronic data stored in the memory 41 (step S141 in FIG. 7). When it is determined in step S141 that there is no electronic data stored in the memory 41, the control circuit 44 advances the process to step S148, supplies a low-voltage pulse from the erasing circuit 43 to the display board unit 11, erases all images displayed on the display surface 11D, and then turns off the power to the handwriting input device 1 (step S149).

[0099] Here, in step S141, the image on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 is erased even when there is no stored data in the memory 41. This is because when a deletion input is made by inputting an instruction using the electronic pen 2, the electronic data at the position indicated by the deletion input is erased from the memory 41, and even if the electronic data is not in the memory 41, the image that was instructed to be deleted by the deletion input may remain displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11.

[0100] Next, in step S141, when it is determined that there is electronic data stored in memory 41, control circuit 44 adds delimiter information such as a page break mark to the electronic data that was newly stored after operation button 21 was pressed to turn on the power (step S142).

[0101] Next, the control circuit 44 checks whether wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible based on whether communication pairing between the short-range communication unit 42 and the mobile terminal 3 has been confirmed (step S143), and determines whether wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible (step S144).

[0102] If it is determined in step S144 that wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible, the control circuit 44 transmits the electronic data stored in the memory 41 to the mobile terminal 3 (step S145). Then, the control circuit 44 determines whether the transmission is complete (step S146), and if it determines that the transmission is complete, erases the electronic data stored in the memory 41 (step S147).

[0103] Next, the control circuit 44 proceeds to step S148, supplies a low-voltage pulse from the erasure circuit 43 to the display board unit 11, erases all images displayed on the display surface 11D at once, and then turns off the power to the handwriting input device 1 (step S149).

[0104] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S146 that the transmission of the electronic data has not been completed, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of transmission (step S150), and if it determines that the predetermined time has not elapsed since the start of transmission, the control circuit 44 returns to step S145 and continues transmitting the electronic data stored in memory 41.

[0105] If it is determined in step S150 that a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the start of transmission, the control circuit 44 determines that transmission of the electronic data has failed and stops the transmission (step S151), blinks the communication indicator 23, and emits a beep from the beep speaker 25 (step S152).The control circuit 44 then holds the electronic data stored in the memory 41 (step S161 in FIG. 8), and blinks the memory indicator 24 (step S162).

[0106] Next, the control circuit 44 determines whether there is no remaining capacity by determining whether the remaining capacity of the memory 41 is equal to or less than a predetermined remaining capacity value (step S163). Here, the predetermined remaining capacity value is a value that may cause the capacity of the memory 41 to be insufficient when new electronic data is added, and is set with a margin.

[0107] If it is determined in step S163 that the remaining capacity of the memory 41 is not equal to or less than the predetermined remaining capacity value, the control circuit 44 proceeds to step S148 in FIG. 7, supplies a low-voltage pulse from the erasing circuit 43 to the display board unit 11, erases all images displayed on the display surface 11D, and then turns off the power to the handwriting input device 1 (step S149).

[0108] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S163 that the remaining capacity of the memory 41 is equal to or less than a predetermined remaining capacity value, the control circuit 44 does not erase the image on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11, but instead notifies the user of the insufficient capacity of the memory 41 by, for example, flashing the memory indicator 24 at a faster flashing cycle than the flashing cycle indicating that electronic data is stored in the memory 41, and by emitting a beep sound from the beep speaker 25 in a manner distinct from other cases (step S164). This prompts the user to transfer the electronic data in the memory 41 to the mobile terminal 3 because the remaining capacity of the memory 41 is insufficient, and the user is prompted to move the handwriting input device 1 to an environment where communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible.

[0109] The control circuit 44 determines whether or not an environment has been established in which communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible (step S165), and waits until an environment is established in which communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible. Then, when it is determined in step S165 that an environment in which communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible has been established, the control circuit 44 turns on the communication indicator 23 to notify the user of this (step S166).

[0110] Then, the long press operation of the operation button 21 by the user is monitored (step S167), and when it is determined that the user has long pressed the operation button 21, all of the electronic data stored and held in the memory 41 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 3 (step S168). At this time, the electronic data stored and held in the memory 41 is data for multiple pages separated by delimiter information. In other words, although the electronic data stored and held in the memory 41 is for multiple pages, because it is separated by delimiter information, different page numbers can be assigned to each page on the mobile terminal 3 or the personal computer 4 to distinguish them.

[0111] In step S168, after transmitting the electronic data stored in the memory 41 to the mobile terminal 3, the control circuit 44 erases the electronic data stored in the memory 41 from the memory 41 (step S169). Then, the control circuit 44 turns off the memory indicator 24 (step S170). After step S170, the control circuit 44 advances the process to step S148 in Fig. 7, supplies a low-voltage pulse from the erasing circuit 43 to the display board unit 11, erases all images displayed on the display surface 11D, and then turns off the power to the handwriting input device 1 (step S149).

[0112] [Effects of the first embodiment] According to the handwriting input device of the first embodiment described above, when a predetermined operation for visually erasing an image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 is performed as an operation of the operation button 21, the electronic data stored in the memory 41 is erased after being transmitted to the mobile terminal 3, which is an external device. Therefore, when new handwritten input is subsequently made on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11, the electronic data of the image of the previous handwritten input is erased and no longer exists in the memory 41, so that it is possible to avoid superimposing the electronic data of the image of the new handwritten input on the electronic data corresponding to the image of the previous handwritten input.

[0113] In the first embodiment, the mobile terminal 3, which is an external device, can easily manage electronic data sent from the handwriting input device 1 based on the operation of the operation button 21 as electronic data of the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the handwriting input device 1. That is, even if delimiter information is not added to the electronic data received from the handwriting input device 1, the mobile terminal 3 can process the received electronic data as data in units of pages corresponding to the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the handwriting input device 1 by, for example, adding a page number to the electronic data.

[0114] However, in the first embodiment described above, the electronic data in the memory 41 is configured to be assigned delimiter information each time the operation button 21 is operated, so that the mobile terminal 3 can easily assign page numbers by relying on this delimiter information.

[0115] According to the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment described above, when a predetermined operation, namely pressing the operation button 21, is performed, it is confirmed that the electronic data in the memory 41 can be transmitted to the mobile terminal 3, which is an external device, before transmission is performed, and after transmission, the electronic data is erased from the memory 41. This prevents the electronic data corresponding to the handwritten input image from being erased without being transmitted.

[0116] According to the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment described above, the above operations are performed simply by the user performing a predetermined operation of visually erasing the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 by pressing the operation button 21. Therefore, the user does not need to perform separate operations to erase the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 and to transmit the electronic data stored in the memory 41. This prevents mistakes such as erasing the handwritten image displayed on the display surface but forgetting to transmit the electronic data, which would occur if a predetermined operation to visually erase the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 and an operation to transmit the electronic data stored in the memory were performed separately.

[0117] In addition, since the handwriting input device 1 does not need to be provided with separate operating means for a predetermined operation to visually erase the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 and operating means for an operation to transmit the electronic data stored in the memory 41, there is also the effect of simplifying the configuration of the handwriting input device 1.

[0118] Furthermore, in the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment described above, when the electronic data in the memory 41 cannot be transmitted to the mobile terminal 3, which is an external device, during a predetermined operation by pressing the operation button 21, the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 is erased, but the electronic data in the memory 41 is not erased, and is stored and held in the memory 41 after adding delimiter information.The handwriting input device 1 then uses the indicators 23, 24 and the beep speaker 25 to notify the user of the situation in which communication was not possible and that the electronic data remains stored in the memory 41.

[0119] This notification allows the user to understand the communication status between the handwriting input device 1 and the mobile terminal 3 and the storage status of the memory 41, so that the user can change the communication status between the handwriting input device 1 and the mobile terminal 3 to a communication enabled state and take appropriate action such as sending the electronic data in the memory 41 by, for example, pressing and holding the operation button 21.

[0120] Furthermore, when the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment described above determines that the electronic data in the memory 41 cannot be transmitted to the mobile terminal 3, which is an external device, during a predetermined operation by pressing the operation button 21 and that the remaining capacity of the memory 41 is insufficient to store the electronic data of a new handwritten input image, the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment makes it impossible to erase the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 and issues a warning to the user. Furthermore, in the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment, at this time, the indicators 23 and 24 are made to flash or otherwise display a warning, and the beep speaker 25 emits a beep to call attention.

[0121] Therefore, when the user receives this warning, the user can recognize that it is necessary to transmit the electronic data stored in the memory 41 to an external device and ensure that there is sufficient remaining capacity in the memory 41 for new handwritten input. Therefore, the user can take appropriate measures, such as enabling communication between the handwriting input device 1 and the mobile terminal 3 and transmitting the electronic data in the memory 41 by, for example, pressing and holding the operation button 21.

[0122] [Modification of the first embodiment] In the above embodiment, the predetermined operation for erasing the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 and transmitting the electronic data from the memory 41 is the pressing of the operation button 21, and the operation of the operation button 21 as the predetermined operation is also detected as a power on / off operation. However, the operation mode of the operation button 21 may be configured such that the predetermined operation for erasing the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 and the power on / off operation are different operation modes.

[0123] For example, a short press of the operation button 21 for a first time length or less may be considered a predetermined operation, and a press of the operation button 21 for a second time length longer than the first time length may be considered a power on / off operation. In that case, the operation for transmitting electronic data that has been stored without being transmitted to the memory 41 may be, for example, two consecutive presses for a short time length or less than the first time length, rather than a long press as in the above embodiment, in order to distinguish it from a power on / off operation.

[0124] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the operation button 21 for a specified operation to erase the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 is configured to also serve as a power button, but the power button may also be a separate operation button.

[0125] In the above embodiment, the memory 41 has a capacity for multiple pages of images displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 of the handwriting input device 1, but the storage capacity of the memory 41 may be set to one page of images displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 of the handwriting input device 1. In that case, however, whenever the electronic data in the memory 41 cannot be transmitted despite the operation button 21 being pressed, the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 is made unable to be erased, and a warning is notified to the user, and the indicators 23 and 24 are made to display a warning such as blinking, and a beep is emitted from the beep speaker 25 to call attention.

[0126] In this way, when the storage capacity of the memory 41 is set to one page of the image displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 of the handwriting input device 1, electronic data for each page of the image displayed on the display surface 11D is transmitted to the mobile terminal 3, so even if delimiter information is not added to the electronic data, the mobile terminal 3 can add information indicating delimiters such as page numbers each time it receives the electronic data. In other words, the handwriting input device 1 has the advantage of eliminating the need to add delimiter information to the electronic data in the memory 41.

[0127] In the above-described embodiment, the indicators 22 to 24, which are composed of semiconductor light-emitting elements, are single-color light-emitting elements that display status information by changing their light-emitting modes, such as lighting or blinking. However, the indicators may be configured as light-emitting elements capable of emitting multiple light colors, and the light-emitting modes may be changed by changing the light-emitting colors to display status information.

[0128] [Second embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, the predetermined operation for erasing an image displayed on the display surface is the pressing of the operation button 21. The handwriting input device of the second embodiment is an example of a configuration in which such an operation button is not provided, and an instruction input operation using an electronic pen within a predetermined position range within the position detection area of ​​a position detection sensor is used as the predetermined operation.

[0129] 9 is a diagram for explaining a handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment. Note that the handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment has a hardware configuration similar to that of the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment, except that it does not have an operation button 21 and uses, as a predetermined operation, an instruction input operation by an electronic pen within a predetermined position range within a position detection area of ​​a position detection sensor. Therefore, in the following description, parts similar to those of the handwriting input device 1 of the first embodiment will be described using the same reference numerals.

[0130] 9 is a diagram showing the handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment as viewed from above in a direction perpendicular to the display surface 11D. In the handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment, a position detection sensor 12 is also provided on the back side of the display board unit 11 in such a manner that the display area of ​​the display surface 11D and the position detection area overlap.

[0131] 9, a power button 26 is provided on the side of the case 14. The control circuit 44 of the device control circuit 40 controls the handwriting input device 1A to alternately power on and power off each time the power button 26 is operated.

[0132] In this second embodiment, a panel 20 is provided above the display surface 11D in Figure 9, outside the display area of ​​the display surface 11D, and this panel 20 is provided with a power indicator 22, a communication indicator 23, a memory indicator 24, and a beep speaker 25, similar to the first embodiment.

[0133] In the second embodiment, within the display area of ​​the display surface 11D, in this example, an upper rectangular area on the panel 20 side, for example, at the right end, is set as a predetermined operation reception area 51 that receives a predetermined operation for erasing an image displayed on the display surface 11D as an operation via the electronic pen 2. In this example, the control circuit 44 of the device control circuit 40 recognizes an instruction input by the electronic pen 2 that specifies a position within the predetermined operation reception area 51 for a short period of time, that is, a one-tap operation by the electronic pen 2, as a predetermined operation for erasing an image displayed on the display surface 11D.

[0134] In the handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment, instead of the long press operation of the operation button 21 in the first embodiment described above, the control circuit 44 recognizes multiple instruction inputs in a short period of time using the electronic pen 2 within a predetermined operation reception area 51, for example, two consecutive inputs, i.e., a double tap operation, as an instruction operation to send electronic data that has been stored in the memory 41 without being sent thereto.

[0135] The processing operations of the control circuit 44 based on the instruction input operation using the electronic pen 2 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0136] Note that the instruction operation by the electronic pen 2 in the predetermined operation reception area 51 is not limited to one tap or double tap, and any operation input may be used as long as it is distinguishable by the control circuit 44. Also, without providing the power button 26, an instruction operation that is distinguishable from other instruction operations by the electronic pen 2 in the predetermined operation reception area 51 may be recognized as a power on / off operation.

[0137] The handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment is also configured to be able to control the operation and non-operation of the device control circuit 40. That is, in the handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment, in order to receive a control instruction from the user to operate and non-operate the device control circuit 40, in this example, a rectangular area at the top of the panel 20, for example at the left end, is set as a control instruction receiving area 52 that receives the control instruction from the user as a command operation via the electronic pen 2.

[0138] 9, the handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment is provided with an indicator 27 on the panel 20 to notify the operating state (on, off) of the device control circuit 40. In this example, the indicator 27 is also made of a semiconductor light-emitting element, similar to the indicators 22 to 24.

[0139] In the handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment, the control circuit 44 of the device control circuit 40 controls the supply of power supply voltage to the device control circuit 40 each time an instruction is input by the electronic pen 2 in the control instruction receiving area 52, so as to alternately switch between operating and non-operating states of the device control circuit 40. As in the first embodiment, the control circuit 44 is in a standby state even when the device control circuit 40 is in a non-operating state, and power supply voltage is always supplied to the control circuit 44.

[0140] In the handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment, when a power supply voltage is supplied to the device control circuit 40 and the device is turned on, the indicator 27 is turned on by the control circuit 44, and when the device control circuit 40 is turned off, the indicator 27 is turned off by the control circuit 44.

[0141] As a result, in the handwriting input device 1A of the second embodiment, an image is formed and displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11, but if there is no need to transfer the electronic data of the image to an external device, a usage mode can be realized that can reduce battery consumption.

[0142] [Modification of the second embodiment] In addition, the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11 may be configured to include only the position detection area of ​​the position detection sensor 12, including the specified operation reception area 51 and the sensor control instruction reception area 52, without including the specified operation reception area 51 and the control instruction reception area 52.

[0143] Furthermore, instead of using the position detection sensor 12 to detect instruction inputs to the predetermined operation reception area 51 and the control instruction reception area 52, a sensor that detects operations on the area, such as a pressure sensor or a touch sensor, may be separately provided in correspondence with the predetermined operation reception area 51 and the control instruction reception area 52. In this case, the operation input to the predetermined operation reception area 51 and the control instruction reception area 52 may be an operation input by the user's finger as well as an operation input by the electronic pen 2.

[0144] In this case, since there is no need to detect the operation input by the position detection sensor 12, the power supply can be controlled not only for the device control circuit 40 but also for the position detection sensor 12 and the position detection circuit 30 in response to the control instruction to the control instruction receiving area 52 described above, and the operation can be controlled to be turned on and off.Therefore, when an image is formed and displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11, but there is no need to transfer the electronic data of the image to an external device, a usage mode can be realized that can further reduce battery consumption.

[0145] [Examples of how handwriting input devices are used] It is convenient to prepare a transparent sheet on which a predetermined document form is printed, place the transparent sheet on the display surface 11D of the handwriting input device 1 or 1A of the above-mentioned embodiment, and use it to input handwritten information into the document form printed on the transparent sheet.

[0146] 10 shows an example of the configuration of a system that realizes this purpose of use. A user of this system creates a desired document form FM and registers it in a server device 61, which may be a personal computer.

[0147] The server device 61 accepts this registration, assigns identification information (paper ID) to the accepted document form, and stores the document form data in the database. In this case, the server device 61 assigns unique identification information, such as a barcode, as the paper ID.

[0148] The database of the server device 61 contains data of the document form, such as area coordinate data indicating an input area for handwritten information, attribute data of information to be input into the input area for handwritten information, etc. The area coordinate data indicating the input area for handwritten information included in the document form corresponds to the coordinate data of the position detection area of ​​the position detection sensor 12 of the handwriting input device 1.

[0149] The registered document form is then printed on a transparent sheet 63 by a printer 62. In this example, a barcode serving as an example of a paper ID assigned by the server device 61 is printed at a predetermined position on the transparent sheet 63. The transparent sheet 63 is placed on the display surface 11D of the handwriting input device 1 or 1A. In this example, the handwriting input device 1 or 1A is provided with a means for fastening the transparent sheet 63 to the display surface 11D, such as a clip member (not shown), and the clip member fastens the transparent sheet 63 to the display surface 11D. The handwriting input device 1 or 1A is further provided with a barcode reader (not shown) that reads the barcode printed on the transparent sheet 63, and the control circuit 44 of the device control circuit 40 stores barcode information read by the barcode reader as a paper ID in the memory 41 in association with the electronic data.

[0150] In this state, the user of the handwriting input device 1 or 1A uses the electronic pen 2 to perform handwriting input in an area requiring input in the document form on the transparent sheet 63. Then, the handwritten image is formed and displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit 11, and the position of the pen tip of the electronic pen 2 is detected by the position detection sensor 12, and electronic data corresponding to the handwritten image is stored in the memory 41.

[0151] When the user completes the necessary handwriting input and presses the operation button 21, the control circuit 44 of the device control circuit 40 of the handwriting input device 1 confirms that communication with the mobile terminal 3 is possible, and then transmits the electronic data stored in the memory 41, along with a paper ID, to the mobile terminal 3. After completing the transmission, the control circuit 44 performs a process to erase the image displayed on the display surface 11D. This erases the handwritten input images written in each of the input fields of the document form on the transparent sheet 63, leaving each field blank. In other words, the next user is ready to input handwritten input into the blank fields of the same document form.

[0152] In this example, an application program for performing the processing required in this system is pre-installed in the mobile terminal 3. When the mobile terminal 3 receives the paper ID and electronic data from the handwriting input device 1 or 1A, it stores them in a buffer memory and transmits the received paper ID information to the server device 61 via the communication network 64.

[0153] The server device 61 then sends display data for the document form corresponding to the paper ID, and the mobile terminal 3 displays the document form based on that display data on the display screen, and also displays the information handwritten in the blank spaces of the document form based on the electronic data received from the handwriting input device 1 or 1A.

[0154] Then, for example, based on a transfer instruction from the user of the mobile terminal 3, the mobile terminal 3 adds a paper ID to the electronic data received from the handwriting input device 1 or 1A and stored in the buffer memory, and transmits the data to the server device 61, requesting storage of the filled-in data. At this time, the electronic data transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 to the server device 61 has a page number and a timestamp added to it. This allows the server device 61 to identify handwritten input information of the same document form based on the page number and the timestamp. The server device 61 stores the electronic data associated with the paper ID received from the mobile terminal 3 in a handwritten information storage unit, in association with the received paper ID.

[0155] As described above, the system shown in FIG. 10 using the handwriting input device of this embodiment allows for the collection of handwritten input information in the required input fields of a specific document form as electronic data by placing a transparent sheet 63 on the display surface 11D, on which a specific document form is printed. In this case, the document form is identified by a paper ID, and the electronic data can be managed using delimiter information such as page numbers. Therefore, this system is highly useful for applications requiring handwritten input in the required input fields of a specific document form, such as a medical questionnaire at a hospital or a membership registration form at a store. In conventional cases, users would fill out the form on a sheet of paper on which the document form was printed, which required replacing the form. However, the use of a transparent sheet eliminates this need. Furthermore, while conventional systems require the management of paper containing personal information, in the example shown in FIG. 10, handwritten input information is displayed on the display surface 11D of the display board unit, but is then erased, eliminating the need for paper management to protect personal information.

[0156] [Other embodiments or modifications] In the handwriting input devices of the first and second embodiments described above, the display unit is configured by a display board unit using a pressure-sensitive cholesteric liquid crystal layer, but the display unit is not limited to this example.

[0157] For example, the display unit may be configured with a magnetic sheet 16 as shown in Fig. 11. In this case, as shown in Fig. 11, a position detection sensor 12 is disposed below (on the back side of) this magnetic sheet 16 so as to overlap with the magnetic sheet 16 in a direction perpendicular to the display surface.

[0158] 11(A), the magnetic sheet 16 is formed in a sheet shape by confining a large number of microcapsules 163, each containing magnetic material powder, such as iron powder 163Fe (shown as black dots in FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B)), in a migratory manner, in the gap between a sheet-shaped resin substrate 161 and a sheet-shaped resin substrate 162 made of, for example, PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate). In this case, at least the sheet-shaped resin substrate 161 is made of a transparent material.

[0159] In this embodiment, the display surface is the surface 161a of the sheet-shaped resin substrate 161 of the magnetic sheet 16. When the magnetic sheet 16 is not in proximity to or in contact with a magnetic pole, the iron powder 163Fe in each microcapsule 163 is present in random positions as shown in Fig. 11(B), and the surface of the magnetic sheet 16, i.e., the display surface, is entirely a predetermined background color, for example, white.

[0160] When a magnetic pole approaches or comes into contact with the surface 161a of the sheet-shaped resin substrate 161 of the magnetic sheet 16, the iron powder 163Fe in the microcapsules 163 near the position where the magnetic pole approached or came into contact is attracted toward the magnetic pole, as shown in FIG. 11(A). Therefore, at the position where the magnetic pole approached or came into contact, the surface of the magnetic sheet 16, i.e., the display surface, assumes the color of the iron powder 163Fe, for example, black. The position of the iron powder 163Fe in the microcapsules 163 is maintained even if the magnetic pole moves away. Therefore, when a magnetic pole that is approaching or in contact with the surface of the magnetic sheet 16 moves, the trajectory of its movement appears as a black line on the surface of the magnetic sheet 16.

[0161] In this example, the core 2T of the electronic pen 2 is configured to have a magnetic pole (for example, an N pole) at least at the tip. Therefore, when handwriting input is made on the magnetic sheet 16 with the electronic pen 2, the movement trajectory appears on the surface (display surface) of the magnetic sheet 16, the handwriting input position is detected by the position detection sensor 12, and electronic data is generated.

[0162] The handwriting input device in this example is equipped with an eraser (not shown) that returns the state of the iron powder 163Fe in the microcapsules 163 magnetically attracted to the surface of the magnetic sheet 16 of the display unit to the irregularly positioned state shown in Fig. 11(B). In this example, the eraser is configured to be able to erase the entire display area of ​​the magnetic sheet 16 all at once.

[0163] Furthermore, instead of a magnetic sheet as in the example of Figure 11, an electrophoretic sheet-like member can be used in which positively and negatively charged particles are enclosed in microcapsules, and images are displayed using an electrophoretic display method.

[0164] In this case, the electrophoretic sheet member includes an upper electrode and a lower electrode, and a display image is formed in response to an electric field applied between the electrodes. In this example, when a position indicated by the electronic pen is detected by the position detection sensor, the electric field at a position on the electrophoretic sheet member corresponding to the detected position is controlled, thereby generating a display image.

[0165] Then, for example, in response to an input operation into an erase operation button or an erase instruction area within the detection area of ​​the position detection sensor, an erase electric field is supplied between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, so that the displayed images are erased all at once.

[0166] When using this electrophoretic sheet member, it is possible to display information on a document form separately from the image displayed according to the detection output of the position detection sensor. Then, by erasing all the displayed images and then displaying the document form prior to handwritten input, it is possible to achieve the same usage as the system shown in Fig. 10. This example has the advantage of eliminating the need for a transparent sheet.

[0167] In the above description of the embodiment, the position detection sensor is of the electromagnetic induction type, but it goes without saying that sensors using other position detection methods, such as an active electrostatic coupling type, can also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0168] 1, 1A...handwriting input device, 2...electronic pen, 3...mobile terminal, 4...personal computer, 11...display board unit, 12...position detection sensor, 21...operation button, 22 to 24, 27...indicator, 25...beep speaker, 26...power button, 30...position detection circuit, 40...device control circuit, 41...memory, 42...near-field communication unit, 43...erasure circuit, 44...control circuit

Claims

1. a display unit having a display surface and displaying handwritten input information on the display surface; a position detection sensor for detecting a position corresponding to the handwritten input information, the position detection sensor being arranged so that a position detection area thereof overlaps with a display area of ​​the display surface; a memory for storing electronic data based on the position corresponding to the handwritten input information detected by the position detection sensor; a control circuit; A handwriting input device comprising: the display unit is configured to display the handwritten information on the display surface in response to a handwritten input operation on the display surface, and the handwritten information displayed on the display surface is configured to be visually erasable all at once in response to a predetermined operation by a user; The control circuit sets delimiter information for electronic data corresponding to the handwriting input operation on the display surface, the electronic data being stored in the memory, in response to the predetermined operation. A handwriting input device characterized by:

2. The predetermined operation is an operation on an operator provided on the handwriting input device for controlling power supply to the handwriting input device.

2. The handwriting input device according to claim 1, wherein:

3. a first operator for controlling power supply to the handwriting input device; The predetermined operation is an operation of visually erasing information displayed on the display surface of the display unit by a second operator different from the first operator that controls the power supply.

2. The handwriting input device according to claim 1, wherein:

4. The predetermined operation is an operation performed on an edge of a position detection area detected by the position detection sensor.

2. The handwriting input device according to claim 1, wherein:

5. The predetermined operation is a gesture operation.

5. The handwriting input device according to claim 4.

6. In a state where power is being supplied to the handwriting input device, the predetermined operation is executed by operating an operator that is different from the operation of the operator for controlling the power supply to the handwriting input device.

3. The handwriting input device according to claim 2.

7. The power supply to the handwriting input device is controlled by operating the operator for a first period of time, The predetermined operation is executed by operating the operator for a second time period that is shorter than the first time period.

7. The handwriting input device according to claim 6, wherein:

8. The operation of the second operating element is detected by the position detection sensor.

4. The handwriting input device according to claim 3.

9. The position detection sensor is a sensor capable of detecting a predetermined pressure, and an operation on the second operating element is recognized when the predetermined pressure is detected.

9. The handwriting input device according to claim 8.

10. The operation of the second operating element detected by the position detection sensor is performed at an end of a position detection area of ​​the position detection sensor.

9. The handwriting input device according to claim 8.

11. a micro-magnet is disposed in correspondence with the display surface of the display unit; The orientation of the micro-magnets is changed in response to handwriting input operations, thereby enabling visual display of information displayed on the display surface, and a display erasure operator is provided for changing the orientation of the micro-magnets in the same direction; The predetermined operation is an operation using the display erasing operation button.

2. The handwriting input device according to claim 1, wherein:

12. An operator that controls the power supply to the position detection sensor is provided, which is different from the display erasing operator.

12. The handwriting input device according to claim 11.

13. a liquid crystal layer is disposed in the display unit so as to face the display surface; The information is formed and held on the display surface by a change in the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer in response to a pressure applied to the display surface, an information erasing operator that applies a predetermined voltage to the liquid crystal layer to align the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer in a predetermined arrangement and erases the information displayed on the display surface; The predetermined operation is an operation using the information erasing operation button.

2. The handwriting input device according to claim 1, wherein:

14. a transmission circuit for transmitting the electronic data stored in the memory to an external device; The control circuit transmits the electronic data to the external device via the transmission circuit in response to the predetermined operation, and after the transmission, erases the electronic data stored in the memory from the memory.

2. The handwriting input device according to claim 1, wherein:

15. The control circuit controls the electronic data in which the delimiter information is set so that the electronic data is not erased from the memory when the electronic data cannot be transmitted to the external device via the transmission circuit.

15. The handwriting input device according to claim 14.

16. When the electronic data stored in the memory cannot be transmitted to the external device via the transmission circuit, the control circuit controls the display screen to visually maintain the information displayed on the display screen in response to the predetermined operation.

16. The handwriting input device according to claim 14 or 15.

17. a status notification circuit including at least one semiconductor light emitting element for notifying a status of the handwriting input device; The semiconductor light emitting element has at least one of a configuration capable of emitting a plurality of colors and a configuration capable of selecting a plurality of lighting modes, The operating state of the handwriting input device and the storage state of the electronic data stored in the memory are configured to be displayed by different indications of the semiconductor light emitting element.

2. The handwriting input device according to claim 1, wherein:

18. a transmission circuit for transmitting the electronic data stored in the memory to an external device; 18. The handwriting input device according to claim 17, wherein the status notification circuit is configured to display the operating status of the handwriting input device and the storage status of the electronic data stored in the memory in different ways from each other using the semiconductor light-emitting element, depending on whether transmission to the external device via the transmission circuit is possible.

19. The storage state of the electronic data stored in the memory presented by the state notification circuit is a state in which the electronic data stored in the memory has been sent to the external device and a state in which the electronic data is held in the memory.

19. The handwriting input device according to claim 17 or 18.

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