Position indicator

Abstract

To provide a position indicator with superior operability.SOLUTION: A position indicator 1 provided herein is for use with a position detection sensor 9 configured to detect a position based on capacitance variation, and comprises a first electrode 3, a flexible substrate 8 arranged to surround at least a portion of the first electrode 3 in planar view of the first electrode 3, and a second electrode 4 arranged on the flexible substrate 8. An AC signal V1 of the position detection sensor 9 is received via one of the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4, and an output signal V2 is sent to the position detection sensor 9 via the other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a position indicator. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a position indicator used with a position detection sensor that detects a position by detecting a change in capacitance. The position indicator includes a first electrode for receiving an AC signal from the position detection sensor, a signal enhancement processing circuit for performing a predetermined signal enhancement process on the AC signal received via the first electrode, and a second electrode to which a signal output from the signal enhancement processing circuit is supplied. The position indicator forms a signal-augmented signal having a predetermined correlation with the AC signal from the position detection sensor received via the first electrode, and at the same time, transmits the signal-augmented signal from the second electrode to the position detection sensor, thereby indicating a position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-128556 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a position indicator having such a configuration, an AC signal from the position detection sensor is received by a first electrode, and a signal that has been subjected to signal enhancement processing by a signal enhancement processing circuit is sent from a second electrode to the position detection sensor. The first electrode and the second electrode must be arranged apart from each other to avoid electrical conduction. Therefore, in a configuration in which signals are received and sent by different electrodes, the position at which an AC signal is received from the position detection sensor and the position at which a signal that has been subjected to signal enhancement processing by a signal enhancement processing circuit is sent to the position detection sensor are shifted, resulting in a shift between the position indicated by the position indicator and the position detected by the position detection sensor. Therefore, the position indicator of Patent Document 1 cannot exhibit excellent operability.

[0005] In addition, in a position indicator having such a configuration, the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged close to each other, so crosstalk is likely to occur between them. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a shield or the like between the first electrode and the second electrode to separate them, which leads to problems such as a complicated structure and a large size.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and has an object to provide a position indicator that is small in size and has excellent operability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] These objects can be achieved by the present invention according to the following items (1) to (12).

[0008] (1) A position indicator used for a position detection sensor in which position detection is performed based on a change in capacitance, A first electrode; a flexible substrate disposed so as to surround at least a portion of the first electrode in a plan view of the first electrode; a second electrode disposed on the flexible substrate; A position indicator comprising: a first electrode and a second electrode, which receive an AC signal from the position detection sensor via one of the first electrode and the second electrode; and a second electrode, which transmits an output signal to the position detection sensor via the other electrode.

[0009] (2) The position indicator according to (1) above, wherein the first electrode is located further toward the tip side than the second electrode and has a contact portion that comes into contact with the position detection sensor.

[0010] (3) The position indicator according to (2), wherein the contact portion is located inside the second electrode in a plan view of the first electrode.

[0011] (4) The position indicator according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the second electrode is embedded in the flexible substrate.

[0012] (5) The position indicator according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein the second electrode has a ring shape surrounding the entire periphery of the first electrode in a plan view of the first electrode.

[0013] (6) A position indicator as described in any one of (1) to (5) above, having a first shield portion located on the inner circumferential side of the second electrode and disposed between the second electrode and the first electrode.

[0014] (7) The position indicator according to (6), wherein the first shield portion is embedded in the flexible substrate.

[0015] (8) A second shield portion is disposed on an outer circumferential side of the second electrode, The position indicator according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the second electrode is exposed from the second shield portion.

[0016] (9) The position indicator according to (8), wherein the second shield portion is embedded in the flexible substrate.

[0017] (10) The position indicator according to (8) or (9), wherein the second electrode has a portion exposed from the second shield portion in a plan view of the flexible substrate.

[0018] (11) The position indicator according to any one of (1) to (10) above, further comprising an insulating support portion positioned between the first electrode and the flexible substrate, the support portion supporting the flexible substrate.

[0019] (12) The position indicator according to any one of (1) to (11) above, further comprising a signal processing circuit that performs a predetermined signal processing on the AC signal and generates the output signal. Effect of the Invention

[0020] In the position indicator of the present invention, since the second electrode is disposed on a flexible substrate, the second electrode can be made smaller and the first electrode and the second electrode can be disposed closer to each other, so that the amount of deviation between the receiving position where an AC signal is received from the position detection sensor and the transmitting position where an output signal is transmitted from the position indicator to the position detection sensor can be kept small, thereby providing excellent operability. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a position indicator and a position detection sensor according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a position detection sensor. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a position detection sensor. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a tip portion of a position indicator. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6. [Figure 9] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a position indicator is in contact with a position detection sensor. FIG. [Figure 10] 11 is a diagram showing an allowable tilt when a position indicator is in contact with a position detection sensor; FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration of a position indicator. [Figure 14] 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a tip portion of a position indicator according to a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 15] 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a tip portion of a position indicator according to a third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 16] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a position indicator is in contact with a position detection sensor. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. [Figure 18] 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a position indicator is in contact with a position detection sensor. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a development view showing a modified example of the flexible substrate. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a development view showing a modified example of the flexible substrate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a position indicator of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0023] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a position indicator and a position detection sensor according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the position detection sensor. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram showing the configuration of the position detection sensor. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram of the position indicator. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the position indicator. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional diagram of the tip portion of the position indicator. FIG. 7 is a development view of a flexible substrate. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram along line AA in FIG. 6. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional diagram showing a state in which the position indicator is in contact with the position detection sensor. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an allowable inclination in a state in which the position indicator is in contact with the position detection sensor. FIGS. 11 and 12 are development views of the flexible substrate. FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration of the position indicator.

[0024] The position indicator 1 shown in Fig. 1 is used in combination with a position detection sensor 9. When the position indicator 1 touches the input screen of the position detection sensor 9, it indicates a position by sending to the position detection sensor 9 an output signal V2 whose signal has been amplified and has a predetermined correlation with the AC signal V1 from the position detection sensor 9. The position detection sensor 9 detects the contact position of the position indicator 1 on the input screen based on the output signal V2 sent from the position indicator 1. First, before describing the position indicator 1, a brief description of the position detection sensor 9 will be given.

[0025] <Position detection sensor 9> The position detection sensor 9 is a mutual capacitance type position detection sensor that detects the position of a touch point touched by the position indicator 1 based on a change in coupling capacitance.

[0026] 2, the position detection sensor 9 has a sensor section 90, a transmitter section 91, and a receiver section 92. For the sake of convenience, the horizontal direction of the pointing input surface is defined as the X-axis direction, and the vertical direction is defined as the Y-axis direction. The sensor section 90 extends in the X-axis direction of the pointing input surface, and includes a plurality of (64 in FIG. 2) transmission conductors 9Y1, 9Y2, ..., 9Y 64 A plurality of (64 in FIG. 2) receiving conductors 9X1, 9X2, ..., 9X 64 The transmission conductors 9Y1 to 9Y 64 A transmitting section 91 is connected to the receiving conductors 9X1 to 9X 64 A receiving unit 92 is connected to the

[0027] In this specification, 64 transmission conductors 9Y1 to 9Y 64 When there is no need to distinguish between the 64 receiving conductors 9X1 to 9X2, they are simply called "transmitting conductor 9Y". 64 When there is no need to distinguish between them, they are simply referred to as "receiving conductors 9X."

[0028] Transmitting conductors 9Y1 to 9Y 64and receiving conductors 9X1 to 9X 64 The transmission conductors 9Y1 to 9Y2 are formed, for example, separately on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate and are arranged so as to overlap each other and cross each other perpendicularly in a plan view. 64 and receiving conductors 9X1 to 9X 64 Cross points CP are formed at the portions where the transmitting conductor 9Y and the receiving conductor 9X overlap, and as shown in FIG. 3, at each cross point CP, the transmitting conductor 9Y and the receiving conductor 9X are coupled via a capacitance C1.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 2, the transmission unit 91 supplies an AC signal V1 to each transmission conductor 9Y. The waveform of the AC signal V1 is not particularly limited, and may be any waveform such as a rectangular wave signal or a sine wave signal. In addition, the transmission unit 91 transmits the same AC signal to the multiple transmission conductors 9Y1 to 9Y 64 Alternatively, a plurality of different AC signals may be supplied to the plurality of transmission conductors 9Y1 to 9Y 64 In addition, the power may be supplied to the multiple transmission conductors 9Y1 to 9Y 64 Alternatively, the power supply voltage Vcc may be divided into a plurality of groups, and a different AC signal may be supplied to each group.

[0030] On the other hand, the receiving unit 92 detects the AC signal V1 supplied to each receiving conductor 9X via the capacitance C1. If the coupling capacitance between the transmitting conductor 9Y and the receiving conductor 9X is equal at all cross points CP, when the position indicator 1 is not present on the sensor unit 90, the receiving unit 92 detects the same level of receiving signals from all the receiving conductors 9X. In contrast, when the position indicator 1 contacts the sensor unit 90, a new coupling capacitance is formed at the contact point, and the capacitance C1 changes at the cross point at the contact position, and accordingly, the level of the receiving signal obtained from the receiving conductor 9X changes.

[0031] The position detection sensor 9 detects the transmitting conductor 9Y supplying the AC signal and the receiving conductor 9X where a change in the received signal level has occurred, thereby detecting the cross point CP where the position indicator 1 is in contact, thereby making it possible to detect the touch point where the position indicator 1 is in contact.

[0032] ≪Position indicator 1≫ The position indicator 1 indicates a position by sending to the position detection sensor 9 an output signal V2, the signal of which has a predetermined correlation with an AC signal V1 from the position detection sensor 9 and is amplified.

[0033] 4, the position indicator 1 has a rod-shaped housing 2, a first electrode 3 and a second electrode 4 provided on the housing 2, a wiring board 5 housed in the housing 2, a signal processing circuit 6 formed on the wiring board 5, and a battery 7 as a power source. The position indicator 1 receives an AC signal V1 from a position detection sensor 9 via the first electrode 3, generates an output signal V2 from the AC signal V1 in the signal processing circuit 6, and sends the output signal V2 to the position detection sensor 9 via the second electrode 4.

[0034] The housing 2 has an insulating part 21 having a substantially cylindrical shape and a conductor part 22 arranged outside the insulating part 21 and covering the insulating part 21. The insulating part 21 is made of, for example, various resin materials and various ceramic materials, and has sufficient insulation properties. The conductor part 22 is made of, for example, various metal materials, and has sufficient conductivity. The conductor part 22 is electrically connected to the earth conductor of the wiring board 5, and is further configured to come into contact with the operator when the operator holds the position indicator 1. In other words, when the housing 2 touches the operator, the earth conductor of the wiring board 5 is connected to the ground.

[0035] The tip of the housing 2 is a tapered portion 23 that gradually tapers. The tapered portion 23 is mainly composed of an insulator portion 21, and the insulator portion 21 is exposed on the surface. The first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4 are provided on the tapered portion 23. The tapered portion 23 may be integrally formed with the insulator portion 21 as in this embodiment, or may be formed separately from the insulator 21.

[0036] The shape of the housing 2, particularly its cross-sectional shape, is not limited to a circle, but may be, for example, a polygon such as a triangle, a rectangle, a pentagon, or a hexagon, an ellipse, an oval, or other irregular shape.

[0037] The housing 2 also contains a battery 7. The battery 7 supplies a voltage to the signal processing circuit 6. A charging receptacle 24 electrically connected to the battery 7 is provided on the base end surface of the housing 2. The battery 7 can be charged by connecting a charging cable to the receptacle 24. The receptacle 24 in this embodiment is a USB Type-C. This makes the receptacle 24 small, and the position indicator 1 can be made small. However, the receptacle 24 is not limited to this. Instead of the rechargeable battery 7, for example, a battery may be used as a power source for the signal processing circuit 6.

[0038] 5, the housing 2 is provided with a switch element 25 and a light-emitting element 26. The switch element 25 has an operator 251 that is exposed to the outside of the housing 2 and is slidable relative to the housing 2. The user operates the operator 251 by sliding it to switch the power ON / OFF. When the power is ON, a voltage is applied from the battery 7 to the signal processing circuit 6, and the signal processing circuit 6 is driven. Conversely, when the power is OFF, the application of the voltage from the battery 7 to the signal processing circuit 6 is stopped, and the drive of the signal processing circuit 6 is stopped.

[0039] Furthermore, when the power is turned ON, the light-emitting element 26 lights up, and when the power is turned OFF, the light-emitting element 26 goes out. A window 27 is provided in the housing 2, and light from the light-emitting element 26 is emitted to the outside of the housing 2 through this window 27. In this way, by turning on / off the light-emitting element 26 in response to the power being turned ON / OFF, the power being turned ON / OFF can be notified to the user more reliably and easily. The light-emitting element 26 is not particularly limited, but for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) can be used. However, the method of turning the power ON / OFF and the method of notifying the user are not particularly limited.

[0040] 6, the first electrode 3 is a central electrode disposed along the central axis J of the housing 2. The first electrode 3 has a base 31 fixed to the housing 2 and a contact portion 32 located on the tip side of the base 31. The base 31 is located within the tapered portion 23 and has a cylindrical shape extending along the central axis J. Such a base 31 also functions as a part of the wiring that electrically connects the contact portion 32 and the signal processing circuit 6.

[0041] The contact portion 32 protrudes from the tapered portion 23 and is exposed to the outside of the position indicator 1. The contact portion 32 is located at the tip of the position indicator 1 and constitutes a contact portion with the position detection sensor 9. The contact portion 32 is expanded in width (diameter) relative to the base portion 31 and has a substantially hemispherical shape (dome shape). The dimensions of the contact portion 32 are not particularly limited, but may be, for example, about 2 mm to 3 mm in diameter and about 1 mm to 1.5 mm in height. This provides the contact portion 32 with an appropriate size, allowing the position indicator 1 to exhibit excellent operability.

[0042] The first electrode 3 having such a configuration is made of various metal materials such as aluminum and copper.

[0043] The configuration of the first electrode 3 is not particularly limited. For example, the contact portion 32 may be covered with an elastic protective conductor. This prevents the pointing input surface of the position detection sensor 9 from being damaged when the position indicator 1 is brought into contact with the position detection sensor 9, and increases the contact area with the pointing input surface. The protective conductor may be made of, for example, conductive elastic rubber. Also, the base portion 31 may be omitted from the first electrode 3, and wiring that electrically connects the contact portion 32 and the signal processing circuit 6 may be arranged in place of the base portion 31.

[0044] In the first electrode 3 as described above, the base 31 is covered with an insulating support 33. The support 33 is substantially cylindrical and covers the entire circumference of the base 31. Therefore, the support 33 is interposed between the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4, and insulates them from each other. The support 33 also has a function of supporting the flexible substrate 8. In this embodiment, the outer diameter R1 of the support 33 is larger than the outer diameter R2 of the contact portion 32. That is, R1>R2. Therefore, in a plan view of the first electrode 3 (plan view from a direction along the central axis J), the contact portion 32 is included in the support 33. That is, the entire area of ​​the contact portion 32 overlaps with the support 33. As a result, the support 33 is interposed not only between the base 31 and the second electrode 4, but also between the contact portion 32 and the second electrode 4, and the support 33 can more reliably insulate the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4.

[0045] Such a support section 33 only needs to have sufficient insulating properties, and may be made of, for example, various resin materials such as polyimide, etc. However, without being limited thereto, the support section 33 may be made of insulating materials other than resin materials, such as ceramic materials, glass materials, etc.

[0046] The flexible substrate 8 having flexibility and insulating properties is supported on the support portion 33 as described above. The flexible substrate 8 is, for example, an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit), and has a thickness T of about 100 μm to 500 μm. By setting the thickness in this range, the flexible substrate 8 becomes sufficiently thin, and the position indicator 1 can be made compact.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 7, the flexible substrate 8 has a substantially T-shape in the unfolded state (natural state). As shown in Fig. 6, the flexible substrate 8 has a first band portion 81 shaped like a ring surrounding the first electrode 3 by being wrapped around the outer circumferential surface of the support portion 33, and a second band portion 82 protruding from the first band portion 81 toward the base end side and extending along the central axis J. The first band portion 81 is disposed at the tip portion of the support portion 33 so that the distance between the first band portion 81 and the contact portion 32 of the first electrode 3 is as small as possible.

[0048] In this embodiment, since the support portion 33 is cylindrical, the first band portion 81 wrapped around the support portion 33 is also curved into a circular ring shape, but it may be bent depending on the outer shape of the support portion 33. For example, if the support portion 33 is rectangular tubular, the flexible substrate 8 may also be bent into a rectangular ring shape. In other words, as long as the flexible substrate 8 is deformed so as to surround the first electrode 3, it may be curved or bent, or a mixture of both.

[0049] Here, the length L of the first band portion 81 is approximately equal to the length of the outer periphery of the support portion 33. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 8, both ends of the first band portion 81 are in contact with the opposite side of the second band portion 82, and thus the first band portion 81 is shaped into a ring that surrounds the entire periphery of the base portion 31. However, this is not limited thereto, and the length L may be longer than the circumference of the support portion 33, and both ends of the first band portion 81 may overlap each other.

[0050] A thin film second electrode 4 is embedded in such flexible substrate 8. By providing the second electrode 4 on the flexible substrate 8 in this manner, the second electrode 4 can be made smaller, and the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4 can be arranged closer to each other. In addition, the outer diameter of the second electrode 4 can be made smaller. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to keep small the deviation D between the receiving position Pin at which the AC signal V1 is received from the position detection sensor 9 and the sending position Pout at which the position indicator 1 sends the output signal V2 to the position detection sensor 9, resulting in a position indicator 1 with excellent operability.

[0051] In particular, by embedding the second electrode 4 in the flexible substrate 8, the second electrode 4 can be easily insulated from the surroundings. Also, the second electrode 4 can be protected from the outside. Therefore, the reliability of the position indicator 1 is improved.

[0052] Furthermore, since the tapered portion 23 can be made smaller (smaller in diameter) by making the second electrode 4 smaller in size, the tapered portion 23 is less likely to come into contact with the position detection sensor 9 even if the position indicator 1 is tilted significantly with respect to the position detection sensor 9, as shown in Fig. 10. Therefore, the position indicator 1 can exhibit excellent operability. Note that, for comparison, Fig. 10 illustrates a position indicator 1A having a large tapered portion 23 by a dashed line, and shows how the position indicator 1A comes into contact with the position detection sensor 9 at an inclination angle θ2 smaller than the inclination angle θ1 of the position indicator 1.

[0053] As shown in Figs. 6 and 8, the second electrode 4 is embedded in the first band portion 81 and forms a ring shape surrounding the entire circumference of the base portion 31 of the first electrode 3. As described above, the outer diameter R1 of the support portion 33 is larger than the outer diameter R2 of the contact portion 32, so that the contact portion 32 of the first electrode 3 is located inside the second electrode 4 in a plan view of the first electrode 3 (plan view from the direction along the central axis J). This prevents the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4 from overlapping each other, and suppresses capacitive coupling between them. This suppresses crosstalk between the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4, and suppresses noise from being mixed into the AC signal V1 and the output signal V2.

[0054] In addition, the second electrode 4 is located closer to the base end of the housing 2 than the contact portion 32. By positioning the second electrode 4 closer to the base end of the housing 2 than the contact portion 32, or conversely, by positioning the contact portion 32 closer to the tip end of the housing 2 than the second electrode 4, it becomes easier to bring the contact portion 32 into contact with the position detection sensor, improving the operability of the position indicator 1.

[0055] The second electrode 4 has a band shape extending along the first band portion 81 in the deployed state, and the first band portion 81 is wrapped around the outer circumferential surface of the support portion 33 so that both ends come into contact with each other and the second electrode 4 is shaped into a ring shape surrounding the entire circumference of the first electrode 3 in a plan view of the first electrode 3 (plan view from the direction along the central axis J). By making the second electrode 4 ring-shaped in this way, the second electrode 4 can be made to face the position detection sensor 9 regardless of the attitude of the position indicator 1 about the central axis J, and the output signal V2 sent from the position detection sensor 9 can be supplied to the position detection sensor 9 more reliably.

[0056] 6, a wiring 83 electrically connected to the second electrode 4 is embedded in the flexible substrate 8. The wiring 83 is embedded in the second belt portion 82, extends along the central axis J together with the second belt portion 82, and is connected to the second electrode 4 at its tip. The second electrode 4 is electrically connected to the signal processing circuit 6 via the wiring 83. In this embodiment, the wiring 83 is formed integrally with the second electrode 4. However, this is not limited thereto, and for example, the wiring 83 and the second electrode 4 may be formed separately, or the wiring 83 may be omitted.

[0057] Such second electrode 4 and wiring 83 are made of various metal materials such as copper, aluminum, etc. In particular, in this embodiment, they are made of copper foil. This allows the second electrode 4 and wiring 83 to be made thinner, and the second electrode 4 can be made even smaller (reduced in diameter). Therefore, the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4 can be arranged even closer to each other, and the deviation D between the receiving position Pin and the transmitting position Pout can be further reduced.

[0058] 6, a first shield portion 84 and a second shield portion 85 are embedded in the flexible substrate 8. By embedding the first and second shield portions 84, 85 in the flexible substrate 8 in this manner, the first and second shield portions 84, 85 can be easily insulated from the surroundings. The first and second shield portions 84, 85 can also be protected from the outside. This improves the reliability of the position indicator 1.

[0059] The first shield section 84 is located on the inner periphery side of the second electrode 4 and is interposed between the second electrode 4 and the first electrode 3. As shown in FIG. 11, the first shield section 84 has a substantially T-shape in the deployed state and is provided so as to overlap the entire area of ​​the second electrode 4 and the wiring 83. The first shield section 84 is electrically connected to the earth conductor of the wiring board 5, and is connected to the ground when the position indicator 1 is held by the operator. Therefore, the first shield section 84 functions as a shield that prevents capacitive coupling between the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4. Therefore, crosstalk between the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4 is suppressed, and it is possible to effectively suppress the inclusion of noise in the AC signal V1 and the output signal V2.

[0060] On the other hand, the second shield part 85 is located on the outer periphery side of the second electrode 4 and is interposed between the wiring 83 and the outer surface of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. 12, the second shield part 85 has a linear shape in the deployed state and is provided so as to overlap with the wiring 83. The second shield part 85 is electrically connected to the earth conductor of the wiring board 5, and is connected to the ground when the position indicator 1 is held by the operator. Therefore, the second shield part 85 functions as a shield that prevents the intrusion of disturbances into the wiring 83. Therefore, it is possible to prevent capacitive coupling between the wiring 83 and the position detection sensor 9, and to prevent the output signal V2 from being sent from the wiring 83 to the position detection sensor 9. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the increase in the deviation amount D.

[0061] Here, if the second electrode 4 is covered by the second shield part 85, the output signal V2 sent from the second electrode 4 may be shielded by the second shield part 85 and may not be supplied to the position detection sensor 9. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second shield part 85 is provided so as not to overlap with the second electrode 4. This makes it possible to more reliably supply the output signal V2 to the position detection sensor 9 via the second electrode 4. However, this is not limited thereto, and for example, a part of the second electrode 4 may be covered by the second shield part 85. In this case, it is preferable that a tip side part of the second electrode 4 is exposed from the second shield part 85.

[0062] Such first and second shield parts 84, 85 are made of various metal materials such as copper, aluminum, etc. In particular, in this embodiment, they are made of copper foil like the second electrode 4. This allows the flexible substrate 8 to be made thinner. Therefore, the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4 can be arranged even closer to each other, and the deviation D between the receiving position Pin and the transmitting position Pout can be further reduced.

[0063] Next, the signal processing circuit 6 will be described. As shown in Fig. 13, the signal processing circuit 6 has a power supply circuit section 61 and a signal processing section 62. The power supply circuit section 61 includes a DC / DC converter 611, and generates a power supply voltage Vcc from the voltage of the battery 7 and supplies it to the signal processing section 62. In the power supply circuit section 61, a switch element 25 is provided between the DC / DC converter 611 and the battery 7. In addition, a series circuit of a resistor 612 and a light emitting element 26 is connected between the output terminal of the DC / DC converter 611 and the earth conductor of the wiring board 5.

[0064] In such a power supply circuit section 61, when the switch element 25 is operated to turn the power ON, the voltage of the battery 7 is supplied to the DC / DC converter 611 to generate the power supply voltage Vcc, and at the same time the light-emitting element 26 lights up to notify the user that the power is ON. Conversely, when the switch element 25 is operated to turn the power OFF, the supply of the voltage of the battery 7 to the DC / DC converter 611 is stopped, the generation of the power supply voltage Vcc stops, and at the same time the light-emitting element 26 goes out to notify the user that the power is OFF. However, the configuration of the power supply circuit section 61 is not particularly limited.

[0065] The signal processing unit 62 constitutes a signal enhancement processing circuit, inverts and amplifies the AC signal V1 from the position detection sensor 9 to generate an output signal V2, and sends the output signal V2 to the position detection sensor 9. The signal processing unit 62 includes an amplifier circuit 64 and an inverting amplifier circuit 65.

[0066] The amplifier circuit 64 has an operational amplifier 641 and resistors 642, 643 connected between the inverting input terminal and the output terminal of the operational amplifier 641. The first electrode 3 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 641 with a coupling capacitor sandwiched therebetween. When the position indicator 1 is on the position detection sensor 9, the first electrode 3 and the position detection sensor 9 are coupled via the electrostatic capacitance C2, and an AC signal V1 flowing through the position detection sensor 9 is input to the amplifier circuit 64 as a current signal via the electrostatic capacitance C2 and the first electrode 3. The amplifier circuit 64 then amplifies the input AC signal V1 and outputs it to the inverting amplifier circuit 65.

[0067] The inverting amplifier circuit 65 inverts and amplifies the signal output from the amplifier circuit 64, and outputs the signal to the second electrode 4. The inverting amplifier circuit 65 has an operational amplifier 651, and resistors 652 and 653 connected between the non-inverting input terminal and the output terminal of the operational amplifier 651. The inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 651 is also connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier 641 with a coupling capacitor interposed therebetween.

[0068] The configuration of the position indicator 1 has been described above. Next, a method of using the position indicator 1 will be described. When the power supply of the position indicator 1 is turned ON, the power supply voltage Vcc is supplied from the power supply circuit section 61 to the signal processing section 62, and the signal processing section 62 is driven. In this state, when the contact section 32 of the position indicator 1 is brought into contact with the position indication surface of the position detection sensor 9, the first electrode 3 and the position detection sensor 9 are coupled via the electrostatic capacitance C2, and the AC signal V1 flowing through the position detection sensor 9 is input to the signal processing section 62 via the electrostatic capacitance C2 and the first electrode 3, and becomes an output signal V2 after undergoing amplitude amplification in the amplifier circuit 64 and phase inversion amplification in the inverting amplifier circuit 65, and this output signal is sent (feedback) to the position detection sensor 9 via the second electrode 4 and the electrostatic capacitance C3.

[0069] As described above, the output signal V2 sent to the position detection sensor 9 is an amplified signal in opposite phase to the AC signal V1 supplied to the transmission conductor 9Y. Therefore, the position indicator 1 functions to further increase the change in the level of the received signal obtained from the receiving conductor 9X. Therefore, the position detection sensor 9 can detect the contact position of the position indicator 1 with high sensitivity. In particular, in the position indicator 1, the earth conductor of the wiring board 5 is connected to the ground when the operator touches the housing 2, so that the detection operation of the position detection sensor 9 becomes even more stable.

[0070] As described above, the signal processing circuit 6 performs a predetermined signal processing on the AC signal V1 to generate the output signal V2. By generating the output signal V2 from the AC signal V1 in this manner, it becomes easy to generate the output signal V2 that has a correlation with the AC signal V1.

[0071] <Second embodiment> FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the tip portion of the position indicator according to the second embodiment.

[0072] The position indicator 1 of this embodiment is similar to the position indicator 1 of the first embodiment described above, except for the configuration of the flexible substrate 8. Therefore, in the following description, the present embodiment will be described mainly with respect to the differences from the previously described embodiment, and a description of the similarities will be omitted. In addition, in FIG. 14, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same configurations as those of the previously described embodiment.

[0073] 14, flexible substrate 8 of the present embodiment is provided with two layers each of first shield section 84 and second shield section 85. The two layers of first shield section 84 are arranged to overlap on the inner periphery side of second electrode 4, and the two second shield sections 85 are arranged to overlap on the outer periphery side of second electrode 4.

[0074] According to this configuration, the shielding effect of the first and second shield parts 84, 85 is enhanced compared to the first embodiment described above, and it is possible to more effectively suppress the intrusion of noise into the AC signal V1 and the output signal V2. The number of the first and second shield parts 84, 85 is not particularly limited, and may be three or more.

[0075] The second embodiment as described above can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0076] <Third embodiment> Fig. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a tip portion of a position indicator according to a third embodiment. Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the position indicator is in contact with a position detection sensor. Fig. 17 is a plan view of the position indicator. Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the position indicator is in contact with a position detection sensor.

[0077] The position indicator 1 of this embodiment is similar to the position indicator 1 of the first embodiment described above, except for the configuration of the flexible substrate 8. Therefore, in the following description, the differences between this embodiment and the previously described embodiment will be mainly described, and a description of the similarities will be omitted. Also, in Figures 15 to 18, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those in the previously described embodiment.

[0078] 15, in the flexible substrate 8 of this embodiment, the second shield portion 85 located on the outer periphery side of the second electrode 4 is omitted from the first embodiment described above. This makes it possible to further reduce the thickness of the flexible substrate 8. Therefore, the first electrode 3 and the second electrode 4 can be arranged even closer to each other, and the deviation amount D between the receiving position Pin and the transmitting position Pout can be further reduced.

[0079] However, when the second shield part 85 is omitted as in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the output signal V2 is sent to the position detection sensor 9 via the electrostatic capacitance C4 formed between the wiring 83 and the position detection sensor 9, and depending on the attitude of the position indicator 1, the deviation D between the receiving position Pin and the sending position Pout may increase.

[0080] Therefore, in the position indicator 1 of this embodiment, a mark unit 29 for notifying the user of the position of the wiring 83 is provided on the housing 2. The configuration of the mark unit 29 is not particularly limited as long as it can fulfill its function, but in this embodiment, it is configured by a marker 291 displayed at a position overlapping with the wiring 83, as shown in Fig. 17. Note that the switch element 25 or the light-emitting element 26 may be used as the mark unit 29, or, if the position indicator 1 has a clip for fixing it to an object, the clip may be used as the mark unit 29.

[0081] The user can confirm the position of the wiring 83 based on the mark portion 29, and then use the position indicator 1 in a position in which the wiring 83 does not face the position detection sensor 9, preferably in a position in which the wiring 83 is located on the opposite side of the position detection sensor 9, as shown in Fig. 18. By using the position indicator 1 in such a position, the position detection sensor 9 and the wiring 83 can be separated as far as possible, and coupling between them can be effectively suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the output signal V2 from being sent to the position detection sensor 9 via the wiring 83 and the electrostatic capacitance C4. Therefore, it is possible to keep the deviation D between the receiving position Pin and the sending position Pout small.

[0082] The third embodiment as described above can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

[0083] Although the position indicator of the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the configuration of each part can be replaced with any configuration having a similar function. In addition, any other configuration may be added to the present invention.

[0084] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the AC signal V1 is received from the first electrode 3 and the output signal V2 is output from the second electrode 4, but this is not limiting and may be reversed. In other words, a configuration may be adopted in which the AC signal V1 is received from the second electrode 4 and the output signal V2 is output from the first electrode 3.

[0085] 19, the flexible substrate 8 may be substantially L-shaped. As shown in FIG. 20, a notch 811 may be formed at the base of the first band portion 81. This makes it easier to deform the first band portion 81 and to wrap it around the outer periphery of the support portion 33. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1, 1A...position indicator 2...housing 21...insulating portion 22...conductive portion 23...tapered portion 24...receptacle 25...switching element 251...operator 26...light-emitting element 27...window portion 29...mark portion 291...marker 3...first electrode 31...base portion 32...contact portion 33...support portion 4...second electrode 5...wiring board 6...signal processing circuit 61...power supply circuit portion 611...DC / DC converter 612...resistor 62...signal processing portion 64...amplifying circuit 641...op-amp 642, 643...resistor 65...inverting amplifier circuit 651...op-amp 652, 653...resistor 7...battery 8...flexible board 81...first band portion 811...cutout 82...second band portion 83...wiring 84: First shield part 85: Second shield part 9: Position detection sensor 9X, 9X1 to 9X 64 …Receiving conductor 9Y, 9Y1~9Y64 ...Transmitting conductor 90...Sensor section 91...Transmitting section 92...Receiver section C1, C2, C3, C4...Capacitance CP...Cross point D...Displacement amount J...Central axis Pin...Receiving position Pout...Transmitting position R1, R2...Outer diameter T...Thickness V1...AC signal V2...Output signal Vcc...Power supply voltage θ1, θ2...Tilt angle

Claims

1. A position indicator used for a position detection sensor in which position detection is performed based on a change in capacitance, A first electrode; a flexible substrate disposed so as to surround at least a portion of the first electrode in a plan view of the first electrode; a second electrode disposed on the flexible substrate; a position indicator receiving an AC signal from said position detection sensor via one of said first electrode and said second electrode, and transmitting an output signal to said position detection sensor via the other electrode.

2. The position indicator according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrode is located closer to a tip end than the second electrode and has a contact portion that comes into contact with the position detection sensor.

3. The position indicator according to claim 2 , wherein the contact portion is located inside the second electrode in a plan view of the first electrode.

4. 4. The position indicator according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode is embedded in the flexible substrate.

5. The position indicator according to claim 1 , wherein the second electrode has an annular shape surrounding the entire periphery of the first electrode in a plan view of the first electrode.

6. 6. The position indicator according to claim 1, further comprising a first shield portion located on an inner circumferential side of the second electrode and disposed between the second electrode and the first electrode.

7. The position indicator according to claim 6 , wherein the first shield portion is embedded in the flexible substrate.

8. a second shield portion disposed on an outer circumferential side of the second electrode; The position indicator according to claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is exposed from the second shield portion.

9. The position indicator according to claim 8 , wherein the second shield portion is embedded in the flexible substrate.

10. The position indicator according to claim 8 , wherein the second electrode has a portion exposed from the second shield portion in a plan view of the flexible substrate.

11. 11. The position indicator according to claim 1, further comprising an insulating support portion located between the first electrode and the flexible substrate, the insulating support portion supporting the flexible substrate.

12. 12. The position indicator according to claim 1, further comprising a signal processing circuit that performs predetermined signal processing on the AC signal to generate the output signal.

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