Information processing device
The information processing device uses a magnetic field detection system with an MR sensor to accurately determine the active pen's storage state, preventing false detection and short circuits, even with metal objects, allowing flexible orientation and reliable charging.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- FUJITSU CLIENT COMPUTING LTD
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-08
AI Technical Summary
Conventional pen garages mistakenly detect the presence of an active pen due to metal objects, leading to short circuits and malfunctions when a metal object is attracted by the magnet and contacts the power and ground terminals.
An information processing device with an electronic pen equipped with a magnet and a metal plate that generates a magnetic field in a specific direction when stored, using an MR sensor to determine the pen's orientation and prevent false detection by detecting the magnetic field's direction, thus avoiding short circuits.
Prevents false detection of the active pen's storage state, preventing short circuits and ensuring reliable operation even with metal objects present, and allowing the pen to be stored in either orientation without increasing weight or complexity.
Smart Images
Figure 0007886541000001 
Figure 0007886541000002 
Figure 0007886541000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus.
Background Art
[0002] In recent years, in information processing apparatuses such as mobile personal computers (PCs) and tablet PCs, products that enable screen touch with an active pen have been developed. In addition, an information processing apparatus is provided with a pen garage for storing an active pen. Both the active pen and the pen garage are provided with magnets, and when the active pen is stored, the active pen is adsorbed and stored in the pen garage by the magnets.
[0003] As a related technique, for example, a technique for identifying a pen according to an optical identification pattern of the pen by optical identification means when the pen is inserted into the pen storage unit has been proposed.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0004]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] Conventional pen garages are provided with a detection terminal for detecting the storage state of an active pen, and a charging terminal including a power supply terminal and a GND terminal. When the active pen is stored in the pen garage and the storage state of the active pen is detected by the detection terminal, a power supply voltage is supplied from the power supply terminal to the active pen, and the active pen is charged.
[0006] However, for example, if a metal object such as a paper clip enters the pen garage when it is empty, and the metal object becomes attracted to it by a magnet, the detection terminal may mistakenly detect that an active pen has been stored. In this case, since the power supply voltage is output from the power terminal when the active pen is not stored, a short circuit will occur if a metal object is in contact with the power terminal and the GND terminal, causing a malfunction. In one aspect, the present invention aims to provide an information processing device that prevents false detection of the stored state of an electronic pen. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] To solve the above problems, an information processing device is provided. The information processing device includes an electronic pen equipped with a magnet, a storage space in which the electronic pen is stored, a metal plate that is attracted to the magnet when the electronic pen is stored in the storage space, and an electronic pen storage control unit which determines that the electronic pen is in a stored state when it detects the generation of a magnetic field from the metal plate in a first direction determined when the electronic pen is stored in the storage space, and determines that the electronic pen is not in a stored state when it detects the generation of a magnetic field from the metal plate in a second direction different from the first direction, or when it does not detect the generation of a magnetic field from the metal plate. Furthermore, the electronic pen includes a first charging terminal section that includes a first grounding terminal and a second grounding terminal located at both ends, and a first power terminal located in the center. The electronic pen storage control unit includes a second charging terminal section that includes a third grounding terminal and a fourth grounding terminal located at both ends, and a second power terminal located in the center. When the tip of the electronic pen is stored in the storage space in one direction, the first grounding terminal and the third grounding terminal are connected, the first power terminal and the second power terminal are connected, and the second grounding terminal and the fourth grounding terminal are connected. When the tip of the electronic pen is stored in the storage space in the other direction, the first grounding terminal and the fourth grounding terminal are connected, the first power terminal and the second power terminal are connected, and the second grounding terminal and the third grounding terminal are connected. [Effects of the Invention]
[0008] One aspect of this design is that it becomes possible to prevent false detection of the electronic pen's storage state. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0009] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating an example of an information processing device. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the active pen's storage state. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal section. [Figure 4]This figure shows an example of the storage orientation of the active pen. (a) shows the pen tip stored facing left, and (b) shows the pen tip stored facing right. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates an example of a false detection of the active pen's stored state. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates an example of a false detection of the active pen's stored state. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a configuration that detects the storage state of the active pen by detecting the generation of a magnetic field. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the challenges of a configuration that detects the storage state of an active pen by detecting the generation of a magnetic field. (a) shows the pen tip in a leftward-facing storage state, and (b) shows the pen tip in a rightward-facing storage state. [Figure 9] This diagram illustrates the challenges of a configuration that detects the storage state of an active pen by detecting the generation of a magnetic field. (a) shows the pen tip in a leftward-facing storage state, and (b) shows the pen tip in a rightward-facing storage state. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates the challenges of a configuration that detects the storage state of an active pen by detecting the generation of a magnetic field. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of the configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 12] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal section. [Figure 13] This is a view of the information processing device from direction A in Figure 11. [Figure 14] This diagram shows the configuration of the information processing device as viewed from direction B in Figure 11. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example of operation when metal fragments are present inside the pen garage. [Figure 16] This figure shows an example of operation when metal fragments are present inside the pen garage. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0010] This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus 1 includes an electronic pen 10 for performing a screen touch and an electronic pen storage control unit 20. The electronic pen 10 is provided with a magnet 12. The electronic pen storage control unit 20 includes a storage space 20a for storing the electronic pen 10, a metal plate 23, and a sensor 24.
[0011] The metal plate 23 and the sensor 24 are provided, for example, on the bottom surface of the storage space 20a. The metal plate 23 is attracted to the magnet 12 when the electronic pen 10 is stored. Also, the sensor 24 can use, for example, an MR (Magnetoresistance) sensor.
[0012] 〔Step S1〕The sensor 24 detects whether a magnetic field is generated from the metal plate 23. If the generation of the magnetic field from the metal plate 23 is detected, the process proceeds to the process of step S2. If the generation of the magnetic field from the metal plate 23 is not detected, the process proceeds to the process of step S4.
[0013] 〔Step S2〕The sensor 24 detects whether the magnetic field generated from the metal plate 23 is a magnetic field in a first direction determined when the electronic pen 10 is stored in the storage space 20a. If the magnetic field in the first direction is detected, the process proceeds to the process of step S3. If the magnetic field in a second direction different from the first direction is detected, the process proceeds to the process of step S4.
[0014] 〔Step S3〕The sensor 24 determines that the electronic pen 10 is in a stored state with respect to the storage space 20a. 〔Step S4〕The sensor 24 determines that the electronic pen 10 is in a non-stored state with respect to the storage space 20a.
[0015] Thus, the information processing device 1 includes an electronic pen storage control unit equipped with a metal plate and a sensor. The sensor determines that the electronic pen is in a stored state when it detects the generation of a magnetic field from the metal plate in a first direction, which is determined when the electronic pen is stored in the storage space. If it detects the generation of a magnetic field from the metal plate in a second direction different from the first direction, or if no magnetic field is detected from the metal plate, it determines that the electronic pen is not in a stored state. This makes it possible to prevent false detection of the electronic pen's stored state.
[0016] Next, before describing the details of the information processing device 1 of the present invention, the configuration and problems of the prior art will be explained using Figures 2 to 10. Hereafter, the electronic pen may be referred to as an active pen. Figure 2 shows an example of the storage state of the active pen. The active pen 30 is equipped with magnets 31 and 32, and the bottom surface of the pen garage 40 is also equipped with magnets 41 and 42.
[0017] When the active pen 30 is stored in the pen garage 40, magnets 31 and 41 attract each other, and magnets 32 and 42 attract each other, fixing the active pen 30 in place for storage in the pen garage 40. The active pen 30 is also provided with a terminal section 33, and a terminal section 43 is provided on the bottom surface of the pen garage 40.
[0018] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of the terminal section. The terminal section 33 of the active pen 30 is provided with a GND terminal 33a on the 1st pin, a Vcc terminal (power terminal) 33b on the 2nd pin, and a GND terminal 33c on the 3rd pin. The terminal section 43 of the pen garage 40 is provided with a GND terminal 43a on the 1st pin, a Vcc terminal 43b on the 2nd pin, and a detection terminal 43c on the 3rd pin.
[0019] When the active pen 30 is stored in the pen garage 40, and is attracted by magnets 31 and 41, and attracted by magnets 32 and 42, the GND terminal 33a and GND terminal 43a are connected, the Vcc terminal 33b and Vcc terminal 43b are connected, and the GND terminal 33c and detection terminal 43c are connected.
[0020] Here, if the active pen 30 is not stored in the pen garage 40, the detection terminal 43c will be in a high-impedance (OPEN) state. Also, if the active pen 30 is stored in the pen garage 40, the GND terminal 33a of the active pen 30 will be connected to the GND terminal 43a of the pen garage 40, and the GND terminal 33c of the active pen 30 will be connected to the detection terminal 43c of the pen garage 40.
[0021] In this case, the detection terminal 43c has low impedance (short), so the terminal side where the pen garage 40 is provided can detect that the active pen 30 is stored in the pen garage 40. When it is detected that the active pen 30 is stored in the pen garage 40, the power supply voltage is supplied to the active pen 30 from the Vcc terminal 43b to the Vcc terminal 33b, and the active pen 30 is charged.
[0022] Figure 4 shows an example of the storage orientation of the active pen. (a) shows the pen tip stored facing left, and (b) shows the pen tip stored facing right. The terminal portion 33 of the active pen 30 and the terminal portion 43 of the pen garage 40 are both located in the central part.
[0023] Therefore, when storing the active pen 30 in the pen garage 40, the user can store the active pen 30 with the pen tip facing either left or right. Regardless of the orientation in which it is stored, once the storage of the active pen 30 in the pen garage 40 is detected, a power voltage is supplied to the active pen 30 from the Vcc terminal 43b, and the active pen 30 is charged.
[0024] Figures 5 and 6 illustrate an example of false detection of the storage state of the active pen. Figure 5 shows the configuration of the pen garage 40 that stores the active pen 30 inserted from above, and Figure 6 shows the configuration of the pen garage 40 that stores the active pen 30 inserted from below. When the active pen 30 is being used by the user, the pen garage 40 is empty. As a result, as shown in Figure 5, a metal piece 5 such as a clip may enter the pen garage 40, and the metal piece 5 that enters the pen garage 40 will be attracted to the magnets 41 and 42.
[0025] If the metal piece 5 comes into contact with the terminal 43 at this time, the detection terminal 43c may mistakenly detect that the active pen 30 has been stored in the pen garage 40. In this case, since the power supply voltage is output from the Vcc terminal 43b, if the Vcc terminal 43b and the GND terminal 43a are in contact via the metal piece 5, a short circuit may occur, potentially causing a malfunction.
[0026] On the other hand, even in the configuration shown in Figure 6, where the active pen 30 is stored magnetically from below the pen garage 40, the metal piece 5 may be attracted by the magnets 41 and 42, and as in Figure 5, the Vcc terminal 43b and the GND terminal 43a may come into contact, potentially causing a short circuit.
[0027] Figure 7 shows an example of a configuration that detects the storage state of the active pen by detecting the generation of a magnetic field. It shows a configuration in which an MR sensor 44 is further provided in the pen garage 40 and a sensor magnet 34 is further provided in the active pen 30.
[0028] When the active pen 30 is stored in the pen garage 40, the magnetic field from the sensor magnet 34 is detected by the MR sensor 44. When the MR sensor 44 detects the magnetic field from the sensor magnet 34, a power voltage is supplied to the active pen 30 from the Vcc terminal 43b, and the active pen 30 is charged.
[0029] With this configuration, even if the metal piece 5 comes into contact with the terminal 43, if the MR sensor 44 does not detect a magnetic field, the power supply voltage will not be output from the Vcc terminal 43b. Also, even if the metal piece 5 is present in the pen garage 40 and an attempt is made to store the active pen 30 in the pen garage 40, the active pen 30 will not be stored in a state where it is attracted by the magnet (the active pen 30 will not fit properly). Therefore, the MR sensor 44 will not react, and the stored state of the active pen 30 will not be falsely detected.
[0030] Figure 8 illustrates the challenges of a configuration that detects the storage state of the active pen by detecting the generation of a magnetic field. (a) shows the storage state with the pen tip pointing to the left, and (b) shows the storage state with the pen tip pointing to the right.
[0031] In the configuration shown in Figure 7, when the active pen 30 is stored in the pen garage 40, the tip of the active pen 30 is always facing left. Therefore, it is not possible to store the pen with the tip facing right, as shown in Figure 4.
[0032] Therefore, in the example shown in Figure 8, two MR sensors, 44a and 44b, are provided in the pen garage 40 so that the pen tip can be stored regardless of whether it is facing left or right. With this configuration, when the pen tip is stored facing left, MR sensor 44b detects the magnetic field of the sensor magnet 34, and when the pen tip is stored facing right, MR sensor 44a detects the magnetic field of the sensor magnet 34, so that the pen tip can be stored regardless of whether it is facing left or right.
[0033] However, this configuration requires two MR sensors 44a and 44b to be installed in the pen garage 40, which presents the problem of increasing the size of the circuit implementation on the terminal side.
[0034] Figure 9 illustrates the challenges of a configuration that detects the storage state of the active pen by detecting the generation of a magnetic field. (a) shows the storage state with the pen tip pointing to the left, and (b) shows the storage state with the pen tip pointing to the right. In the example in Figure 9, the active pen 30 is equipped with two sensor magnets 34a and 34b so that the pen tip can be stored regardless of whether it is pointing to the left or right.
[0035] With this configuration, when the pen tip is stored facing left, the MR sensor 44 detects the magnetic field of the sensor magnet 34b, and when the pen tip is stored facing right, the MR sensor 44 detects the magnetic field of the sensor magnet 34a, so the pen tip can be stored regardless of whether it is facing left or right.
[0036] However, since the active pen 30 will have two sensor magnets 34a and 34b, the weight of the active pen 30 will increase, making it difficult to handle, and the center of gravity will be more prone to shifting, which will make it difficult to write letters and lines.
[0037] Figure 10 illustrates the challenges of a configuration that detects the storage state of the active pen by detecting the generation of a magnetic field. To improve the difficulty of writing with the active pen 30 as shown in Figure 9, the sensor magnets 34a and 34b are positioned closer to the center of the active pen 30. This makes it easier to stabilize the center of gravity of the active pen 30.
[0038] However, since the sensor magnets 34a and 34b are placed near the magnets 31 and 32 used for attraction, and the MR sensor 44 is also placed near the magnet 42 used for attraction, the magnetic field becomes complex, which can cause malfunctions in the MR sensor 44.
[0039] Next, the information processing device 1 of the present invention will be described in detail below. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device. The information processing device 1 comprises an active pen 10 and an active pen storage control unit 20. The active pen 10 is equipped with magnets 11 and 12 and a terminal portion 13.
[0040] The active pen storage control unit 20 includes a storage space 20a for storing the active pen 10. For example, the bottom surface of the storage space 20a is equipped with a magnet 21, a terminal section 22, a metal plate 23, an MR sensor 24, and a charging control unit 25. The active pen storage control unit 20 has the functions of the electronic pen storage control unit 20 in Figure 1, and the MR sensor 24 has the functions of the sensor 24 in Figure 1.
[0041] When the active pen 10 is stored in the storage space 20a, magnets 11 and 21 attract each other when the pen tip is facing left, and magnets 12 and 21 attract each other when the pen tip is facing right, so that the active pen 10 is fixed and stored in the storage space 20a.
[0042] Figure 12 shows an example of the configuration of the terminal section. The terminal section 13 (first charging terminal section) of the active pen 10 is provided with a GND terminal 13a (first ground terminal) on the 1st pin, a Vcc terminal 13b (first power terminal) on the 2nd pin in the center, and a GND terminal 13c (second ground terminal) on the 3rd pin. In addition, the terminal section 22 (second charging terminal section) on the storage space 20a side is provided with a GND terminal 22a (third ground terminal) on the 1st pin, a Vcc terminal 22b (second power terminal) on the 2nd pin in the center, and a GND terminal (fourth ground terminal) on the 3rd pin.
[0043] When the active pen 10 is stored in the storage space 20a with its tip facing left, and the active pen 10 is attracted by magnets 11 and 21, GND terminal 13a and GND terminal 22a are connected, Vcc terminal 13b and Vcc terminal 22b are connected, and GND terminal 13c and GND terminal 22c are connected.
[0044] Furthermore, when the active pen 10 is stored in the storage space 20a with its tip facing right, and the active pen 10 is attracted by magnets 12 and 21, GND terminal 13a and GND terminal 22c are connected, Vcc terminal 13b and Vcc terminal 22b are connected, and GND terminal 13c and GND terminal 22a are connected.
[0045] Thus, the active pen storage control unit 20 of the information processing device 1 does not have a detection terminal as shown in Figure 3, and the terminal sections 13 and 22 are equipped with GND terminals at both ends and a power terminal in the center, so the active pen 10 can be stored in the storage space 20a regardless of whether the pen tip is facing left or right.
[0046] Figure 13 shows the configuration of the information processing device as viewed from direction A in Figure 11, and Figure 14 shows the configuration of the information processing device as viewed from direction B in Figure 11. When the active pen 10 is stored in the storage space 20a, the metal plate 23 is magnetized by the magnet 12 (or magnet 11) provided on the active pen 10. At this time, a magnetic field is generated from the north pole to the south pole of the magnetized metal plate 23.
[0047] The MR sensor 24 determines that the active pen 10 is stored in the storage space 20a if it detects that the magnetic field generated from the metal plate 23 is oriented in a first direction determined when the active pen 10 is stored in the storage space 20a.
[0048] Furthermore, when the MR sensor 24 detects a magnetic field in the first direction and recognizes the storage state of the active pen 10 in the storage space 20a, it sends a charging instruction to the charging control unit 25. Based on the charging instruction, the charging control unit 25 supplies power voltage to the Vcc terminal 13b of the terminal section 13 of the active pen 10 via the Vcc terminal 22b of the terminal section 22 to charge the active pen 10.
[0049] On the other hand, when the active pen 10 is not stored in the storage space 20a, the magnet 12 (or magnet 11) that magnetizes the metal plate 23 is gone, so the metal plate 23 is not magnetized and the MR sensor 24 does not react.
[0050] If the MR sensor 24 does not detect a magnetic field from the metal plate 23, it is determined that the active pen 10 is not stored in the storage space 20a, and no charging instruction is sent from the MR sensor 24 to the charging control unit 25. Therefore, the charging control unit 25 stops supplying the power supply voltage, and no power supply voltage is output from the Vcc terminal 22b.
[0051] The metal plate 23 and the MR sensor 24 may be placed either on the tip side of the active pen 10 or on the back side of the active pen 10. The rectangular metal plate 23 is positioned near the MR sensor 24 with its long side oriented perpendicular or parallel to the bottom surface of the storage space 20a. This arrangement improves the response accuracy of the MR sensor 24 to the magnetic field of the magnetized metal plate 23.
[0052] Figures 15 and 16 illustrate an example of operation when a metal piece is present in the pen garage. Assume that a metal piece 5, such as a clip, is in the storage space 20a and in contact with the terminal portion 22. When the metal piece 5 is attracted to the magnet 21, the end of the metal piece 5 that is attracted to the south pole of the magnet 21 becomes the north pole, and the end near the metal plate 23 becomes the south pole. Also, as shown in Figure 16, the magnetized metal piece 5 magnetizes the metal plate 23, and a magnetic field is generated from the north pole to the south pole of the magnetized metal plate 23.
[0053] Even if a magnetic field is generated from the metal plate 23 by the magnetized metal piece 5, the MR sensor 24 will not react if it detects that the magnetic field generated from the metal plate 23 is in a second direction (opposite to the first direction) that is different from the first direction, and will determine that the active pen 10 is not stored in the storage space 20a.
[0054] If the MR sensor 24 detects a magnetic field but it is not in the first direction, it is determined that the active pen 10 is not stored in the storage space 20a, and therefore no charging instruction is sent from the MR sensor 24 to the charging control unit 25. Consequently, the charging control unit 25 stops supplying the power supply voltage, so no power supply voltage is output from the Vcc terminal 22b, and a short-circuit failure can be prevented even if the metal piece 5 is in contact with the terminal 22.
[0055] As explained above, according to the present invention, even if a metal piece such as a clip enters the storage space when it is empty and the metal piece comes into contact with the terminal, the active pen is determined to be in an unstored state, thus preventing false detection. Furthermore, since the power supply voltage is stopped when the active pen is not stored, the risk of short circuit is prevented even if a metal piece comes into contact with the power terminal and the GND terminal.
[0056] Although embodiments have been illustrated above, the configurations of each part shown in the embodiments can be replaced with others having similar functions. Furthermore, other arbitrary components or processes may be added. Moreover, any two or more configurations (features) from the embodiments described above may be combined. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0057] 1. Information Processing Device 10 Electronic pens 12 Magnets 20 Electronic pen storage control unit 20a Storage space 23 Metal Plate 24 sensors
Claims
1. An electronic pen equipped with a magnet, The electronic pen storage control unit includes: a storage space in which the electronic pen is stored; a metal plate that is attracted to the magnet when the electronic pen is stored in the storage space; and a sensor that determines that the electronic pen is in a stored state when it detects the generation of a magnetic field from the metal plate in a first direction determined when the electronic pen is stored in the storage space, and determines that the electronic pen is in an unstored state when it detects the generation of a magnetic field from the metal plate in a second direction different from the first direction, or when it does not detect the generation of a magnetic field from the metal plate. The electronic pen includes a first charging terminal section comprising a first grounding terminal and a second grounding terminal located at both ends, and a first power terminal located in the center; the electronic pen storage control unit includes a second charging terminal section comprising a third grounding terminal and a fourth grounding terminal located at both ends, and a second power terminal located in the center; When the tip of the electronic pen is stored in the storage space in one direction, the first grounding terminal and the third grounding terminal are connected, the first power terminal and the second power terminal are connected, and the second grounding terminal and the fourth grounding terminal are connected. When the tip of the electronic pen is stored in the storage space in the other orientation, the first grounding terminal and the fourth grounding terminal are connected, the first power terminal and the second power terminal are connected, and the second grounding terminal and the third grounding terminal are connected. Information processing device.
2. The aforementioned electronic pen storage control unit is When the generation of a magnetic field in the first direction is detected, a power supply voltage is supplied to the first charging terminal via the second charging terminal to charge the electronic pen. The charging control unit includes a mechanism that stops supplying the power voltage when the generation of a magnetic field in the second direction is detected or when the generation of a magnetic field is not detected. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.
3. The metal plate has a rectangular shape, and its long side is positioned near the sensor with the orientation perpendicular or parallel to the bottom surface of the storage space. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.