Electronic pen

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic pen that allows for improved repairability. The electronic pen comprises: an electronic pen body unit; a power supply unit that supplies power supply voltage to the electronic pen body unit; and a first casing part and a second casing part that are joined in the axial direction to constitute an electronic pen outer casing. The electronic pen body unit has a columnar shape. A core can be attached to one end in the axial direction, and an electrical first terminal part is provided at the other end in the axial direction. The power supply unit has a columnar shape, and is provided, at one end in the axial direction, with a second terminal part that is electrically connected to the first terminal part of the electronic pen body unit. Inside a columnar storage space of the electronic pen outer casing, the electronic pen body unit and the power supply unit, which are arranged side by side in the axial direction in a state where the power supply unit is on the rear-end side, are brought into a state of being unable to move in the axial direction, and the first terminal part and the second terminal part are brought into a state of being electrically connected.

Description

Electronic pen

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic pen having a function for performing signal interaction with a position detection sensor, and in particular to an electronic pen having a power source that uses a primary battery or a secondary battery as the power source.

[0002] Well-known electronic pens include active capacitance type electronic pens and electromagnetic induction type electronic pens. Active capacitance type electronic pens include a signal transmission circuit that transmits signals for interaction with a position detection sensor, as well as a power supply unit that supplies power supply voltage to this signal transmission circuit. Electromagnetic induction type electronic pens also include a circuit that generates digital information when transmitting writing pressure information and identification information as digital information to an electronic device equipped with a position detection sensor, as well as a power supply unit that supplies power supply voltage to this circuit.

[0003] In conventional electronic pens, whether they are active capacitance type electronic pens or electromagnetic induction type electronic pens, the part that performs the function of signal interaction with the position detection sensor (the functional part of the electronic pen main body) is electrically connected to the power supply unit, and these are stored in a columnar storage space inside the electronic pen's outer casing.

[0004] Recently, as shown in Patent Document 1 (Republished Patent Publication No. 2020 / 148977) and Patent Document 2 (Republished Patent Publication No. 2017 / 010336), for example, electronic pens have been proposed in which the internal components of the electronic pen are modularized and the modularized components are stored in a columnar storage space inside the electronic pen's outer casing. In this case, too, the functional part of the electronic pen main body, which performs the function of signal interaction with the position detection sensor, and the power supply unit are electrically connected and configured as a single modularized component.

[0005] Re-tabulation 2020 / 148977 publication Re-tabulation 2017 / 010336 publication

[0006] However, in the conventional electronic pens described above, only the core body with the pen tip was a replaceable part, and if the outer casing of the electronic pen was damaged or if some of the internal parts were broken, the electronic pen itself had to be replaced as a whole.

[0007] For this reason, if the electronic pen's outer casing is damaged, the internal modules that are functioning normally are also discarded. Also, if a part of the modularized component other than the power supply unit is damaged, the power supply unit that is functioning normally is also discarded. Furthermore, if only part of the power supply unit is damaged, the remaining parts of the modularized component that are not damaged are also discarded.

[0008] This situation is undesirable from the perspective of sustainability, and there is a demand for improved repairability for electronic pens.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic pen that can solve the above problems.

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, an electronic pen device is provided which comprises an electronic pen body unit having a function of performing signal interaction with a position detection sensor; a power supply unit which supplies a power supply voltage to the electronic pen body unit; and a first housing unit and a second housing unit which are formed by joining an electronic pen outer casing having a columnar storage space therein in the axial direction of the columnar storage space, wherein the electronic pen body unit has a columnar shape which can be stored in the columnar storage space, a core body can be attached to one end side of the columnar shape in the axial direction, and has a first electrical terminal portion on the side opposite to the side where the core body is attached; and the power supply unit has a columnar shape which can be stored in the columnar storage space, and has a second terminal portion on one end side of the columnar shape in the axial direction which is electrically connected to at least a part of the first terminal portion of the electronic pen body unit, An electronic pen is provided, characterized in that the electronic pen main body unit and the power supply unit are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the columnar storage space of the electronic pen outer casing, with the power supply unit at the rear end, and are unable to move in the axial direction of the columnar storage space, and the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion are electrically connected.

[0011] The electronic pen having the above-described configuration comprises four components: an electronic pen main body unit, a power supply unit, a first housing unit, and a second housing unit. The electronic pen can be constructed simply by housing the electronic pen main body unit and the power supply unit axially coupled together in a columnar housing space of the electronic pen outer housing, which is made up of the first housing and the second housing.

[0012] Therefore, with the electronic pen having the above configuration, if any of the four parts is damaged, the electronic pen can be repaired by replacing only the damaged part, thereby improving the repairability of the electronic pen.

[0013] 5 is an exploded perspective view for explaining an overview of an embodiment of the electronic pen according to the present invention, in which a secondary battery is used as a power source. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view for explaining an overview of an embodiment of the electronic pen according to the present invention, in which a primary battery is used as a power source. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view for explaining an example of the configuration of an embodiment of the electronic pen according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view for explaining an example of the configuration of an electronic pen main body unit in an embodiment of the electronic pen according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the pen tip side of the electronic pen main body unit of the example of FIG. 4. FIG. 10 is a view used to explain the configuration of the pen tip side of the electronic pen main body unit shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 11 is a view used to explain the configuration of the pen tip side of the electronic pen main body unit shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 12 is a view used to explain the configuration of the pen tip side of the electronic pen main body unit shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view for explaining an example of the configuration of a power supply unit in an embodiment of the electronic pen according to the present invention, in which a secondary battery is used as a power source. FIG. 14 is a view for explaining a configuration in which a power supply unit using a secondary battery as a power source and an electronic pen main body unit are coupled together in an embodiment of the electronic pen according to the present invention. FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram for showing electrical connections in a configuration in which a power supply unit using a secondary battery as a power source and an electronic pen main body unit are coupled together in an embodiment of the electronic pen according to the present invention. 1 is a diagram for explaining a configuration in which a power supply unit using a primary battery as a power source and an electronic pen main unit are coupled together in an embodiment of the electronic pen according to the present invention; a circuit diagram for showing electrical connections in a configuration in which a power supply unit using a primary battery as a power source and an electronic pen main unit are coupled together in an embodiment of the electronic pen according to the present invention; and a diagram for explaining another example of the electrical connection of the coupling portion between the electronic pen main unit and the power supply unit in an embodiment of the electronic pen according to the present invention.

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an electronic pen according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment of the electronic pen described below is an active capacitance type electronic pen.

[0015] [Overview of the configuration of the electronic pen of the embodiment] The electronic pen 1 of this embodiment is configured to be compatible with both secondary batteries and primary batteries as power sources, and can be configured to switch between using a secondary battery and a primary battery as a power source simply by replacing the power supply unit described below.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the configuration of the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment when a secondary battery is used as the power source. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the outline of the configuration when a primary battery is used as the power source. The only difference between the configuration shown in Fig. 1 and the configuration shown in Fig. 2 is the power supply unit as a unit component; the other unit components are the same (common).

[0017] Figures 1(A) and 2(A) are views showing the external appearance of the assembled electronic pen 1, and there is no difference between Figures 1(A) and 2(A). Figures 1(B) and 2(B) are exploded perspective views illustrating the components of the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, and as mentioned above, only the configuration of the power supply unit is different. Figures 1(C) and 2(C) are views showing the unit components housed inside the electronic pen outer casing 2 of the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment joined together, and in these figures, only the configuration of the power supply unit is different.

[0018] The electronic pen outer casing 2 of the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment has an elongated cylindrical shape with a columnar storage space inside. The electronic pen outer casing 2 is divided into two unit parts, a first casing part and a second casing part, in the axial direction of the cylindrical shape and detachably coupled together. As shown in Figures 1(A) and 1(B) and Figures 2(A) and 2(B), in this example, the electronic pen outer casing 2 is composed of a pen tip side casing part 21 as an example of the first casing part and a rear end side casing part 22 as an example of the second casing part.

[0019] 1(B) and 2(B), the pen tip side housing 21 has a cylindrical shape with a hollow space inside, and one end in the axial direction that is the pen tip side has a shape that gradually tapers, and has an opening 21a on the pen tip side for allowing the tip of a core body, which will be described later, to protrude to the outside. The rear end side in the axial direction, opposite the pen tip side, of the pen tip side housing 21 is opened, and in this example, a threaded portion 21b is formed on the outer peripheral wall surface near the opening on the rear end side for coupling with the rear end side housing 22 by screwing.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B , the rear end housing 22 has a cylindrical shape with a hollow space inside, and a threaded portion (not shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B ) that threads onto the threaded portion 21 b of the pen tip side housing 21 is formed on the inner wall surface of an opening 22 a at one end in the axial direction, which is on the pen tip side housing 21 side. A lid portion 22 b that closes the opening is provided on the rear end side of the rear end housing 22, opposite the pen tip side, in the axial direction. In the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, the lid portion 22 b is configured to be detachable by, for example, being screwed into the rear end opening of the rear end housing 22. Instead of being screwed into the rear end opening of the rear end housing 22, the lid portion 22 b may be configured to be press-fitted or to have a click-fit using a ring-shaped protrusion and a ring-shaped recess.

[0021] In this embodiment, the pen tip side housing portion 21 and the rear end side housing portion 22 are screwed together at the threaded portion 21b of the pen tip side housing portion 21 to form the electronic pen outer housing 2 of the electronic pen 1, and inside, the hollow space of the pen tip side housing portion 21 and the hollow space of the rear end side housing portion 22 are connected to form a columnar storage space 2a (see Figure 3 described below).

[0022] In the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, the unit components housed in the columnar housing space 2a of the electronic pen outer casing 2 are two unit components: an electronic pen main body unit 3 and a power supply unit. In this embodiment, either of two types of power supply units can be used: a power supply unit 4S powered by a secondary battery as shown in Fig. 1(B) or a power supply unit 4D powered by a primary battery as shown in Fig. 2(B). Either of these two types is selected and combined with the electronic pen main body unit 3 to form the electronic pen 1. Therefore, the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment is comprised of four unit components: a pen tip side housing 21, a rear end side housing 22, the electronic pen main body unit 3, and either the power supply unit 4S or 4D.

[0023] 1B and 2B, the electronic pen main body unit 3 in this example is configured to include a capacitive electronic pen main body functional section including a signal transmission circuit that transmits a signal that interacts with the position detection sensor, housed within a columnar unit housing 3K that is capable of being housed within the columnar storage space 2a of the electronic pen outer housing 2. In this example, the unit housing 3K is configured from a metal pipe made of a conductive metal, for example, SUS (Stainless Used Steel).

[0024] 1B, 1C, 2B, and 2C, in the electronic pen main body unit 3 of this embodiment, the pen tip side of a peripheral electrode 7 (see FIGS. 4 and 5), which will be described later and which constitutes part of the electronic pen main body functional section, protrudes from the pen tip side opening of the unit housing 3K. The core body 5 is configured to be detachably attached to the electronic pen main body functional section inside the unit housing 3K from the pen tip side opening of the peripheral electrode 7.

[0025] In addition, in this embodiment, a terminal portion having a plurality of contacts in this example is formed on the end surface of the rear end side opposite the pen tip side of the electronic pen main body unit 3, for electrical connection with the power supply units 4S and 4D, as will be described later, although this is not shown in Figures 1(B) and 2(B).

[0026] 1B and 2B, one or more (two in this example) elastic protrusions 3Kb are formed by processing a portion of the unit housing 3K on the side surface of the rear end of the unit housing 3K of the electronic pen main body unit 3. The elastic protrusions 3Kb are configured so that the portions protruding from the peripheral side surface of the unit housing 3K are elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the peripheral side surface.

[0027] As mentioned above, in this embodiment, the power supply units to be combined with the electronic pen main body unit 3 are configured to be replaceably attached to the electronic pen main body unit 3, and include a power supply unit 4S equipped with a secondary battery as shown in Figures 1(B) and (C) and a power supply unit 4D in which a primary battery 4DB is detachably housed as shown in Figures 2(B) and (C).

[0028] 1B, the power supply unit 4S is configured such that, in this example, a columnar unit housing 4SK that can be accommodated in the columnar accommodation space 2a of the electronic pen outer housing 2 accommodates a secondary battery (not shown in FIG. 1B) that serves as a power source for supplying power voltage to the electronic pen main body unit 3, and also accommodates a terminal portion on the side where the power supply unit 4S is coupled to the electronic pen main body unit 3 and a charging terminal on the rear end side. The unit housing 4SK of the power supply unit 4S is configured as a cylinder made of an insulating material, resin in this example. Note that, in this embodiment, a charging circuit is provided in the electronic pen main body unit 3.

[0029] In this embodiment, the power supply unit 4S is provided with a fitting portion 4SKF having a recess 4SKFa into which the rear end of the electronic pen main body unit 3 is fitted, on the side of the unit housing 4SK that is coupled to the electronic pen main body unit 3. The terminal portion is provided on the bottom surface (the end surface perpendicular to the axial direction) of the recess 4SKFa of the fitting portion 4SKF of the power supply unit 4S, and is configured to include a contact portion having a plurality of contacts that come into contact with and are electrically connected to the plurality of contacts of the terminal portion on the rear end surface of the electronic pen main body unit 3.

[0030] In this example, the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S are provided with positioning members for aligning and bringing into contact the plurality of contacts of the terminal portion of the electronic pen main body unit 3 with the plurality of contacts of the terminal portion of the power supply unit 4S. That is, as shown in Fig. 1B, a positioning protrusion 3Ka that protrudes slightly from the side peripheral surface of the unit housing 3K is formed near the end face on the rear end side of the unit housing 3K of the electronic pen main body unit 3, and a recessed groove 4SKFb into which the positioning protrusion 3Ka is inserted and engaged is formed on the inner wall surface of the recessed portion 4SKFa of the fitting portion 4SKF of the unit housing 4SK of the power supply unit 4S.

[0031] By inserting the rear end of the electronic pen main body unit 3 into the recess 4SKFa of the fitting portion 4SKF of the unit housing 4SK of the power supply unit 4S, and bringing the contact portion of the terminal portion on the rear end surface of the electronic pen main body unit 3 into contact with the contact portion of the terminal portion on the bottom surface of the recess 4SKFa of the fitting portion 4SKF of the power supply unit 4S and electrically connecting them, the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S are physically and electrically connected together, as shown in Figure 1 (C), to form a unit connecting part 6S.

[0032] In this case, the electronic pen main body unit 3 is fitted into the fitting portion 4SKF of the power supply unit 4S with the positioning protrusion 3Ka at the rear end of the electronic pen main body unit 3 engaging with the recessed groove 4SKFb of the recessed portion 4SKFa of the fitting portion 4SKF of the power supply unit 4S, so that corresponding contacts of the terminal portions of both units 3, 4S come into contact with each other and are electrically connected. Then, in the unit connecting part 6S, the elastic protrusion 3Kb of the unit housing 3K presses against the inner wall circumferential surface of the recessed portion 4SKFa of the fitting portion 4SKF of the power supply unit 4, so that the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S are locked in a coupled state.

[0033] 2(B), in this example, the power supply unit 4D is configured so that a primary battery 4DB serving as a power source for supplying power supply voltage to the electronic pen main body unit 3 is housed in a unit housing 4DK that can be housed in the columnar housing space 2a of the electronic pen outer housing 2. In this example, the unit housing 4DK of the power supply unit 4D has a cylindrical body with an opening 4DKa in the middle in the axial direction so that the primary battery 4DB can be detachably housed therein, as shown in FIG.

[0034] In this example, the unit housing 4DK of the power supply unit 4D is made of a conductive material, such as a conductive metal, and is electrically connected to a spring contact that is electrically connected to the negative electrode 4DB(-) of the primary battery 4DB. In this example, when the primary battery 4DB is housed in the unit housing 4DK, the positive electrode 4DB(+) of the primary battery 4DB is exposed to the coupling side with the electronic pen main body unit 3.

[0035] In this embodiment, the unit housing 4DK of the power supply unit 4D is provided on the side where it is connected to the electronic pen main body unit 3 with a fitting portion 4DKF into which the rear end side of the electronic pen main body unit 3 is inserted and fitted.

[0036] When the rear end of the electronic pen main body unit 3 is inserted into the fitting portion 4DKF of the unit housing 4DK of the power supply unit 4D, the rear end of the electronic pen main body unit 3 is elastically fastened and fitted into the fitting portion 4DKF of the unit housing 4DK, as will be described later. As a result, the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4D are joined together to form a unit joining part 6D, as shown in FIG.

[0037] In this embodiment, the pen tip side housing part 21 is placed over the unit connecting part 6S as shown in Figure 1(C) from the pen tip side, and the rear end side housing part 22 is placed over the rear end side, and the pen tip side housing part 21 and the rear end side housing part 22 are screwed together to form the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment as shown in Figure 1(A), which houses the power supply unit 4S that uses a secondary battery as its power source.

[0038] Similarly, by covering the unit connecting part 6D as shown in Figure 2(C) with the pen tip side housing part 21 from the pen tip side and the rear end side housing part 22 from the rear end side, and screwing together the pen tip side housing part 21 and the rear end side housing part 22, the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment as shown in Figure 2(A) is constructed, which houses the power supply unit 4D that uses a primary battery 4DB as its power source.

[0039] That is, in this embodiment, the electronic pen 1 has four unit components: a pen tip side housing portion 21, a rear end side housing portion 22, an electronic pen main body unit 3, and a power supply unit 4S or a power supply unit 4D. As shown in Figure 1 (C) or Figure 2 (C), the electronic pen 1 can be constructed simply by combining the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S or 4D, and then covering and combining the pen tip side housing portion 21 and the rear end side housing portion 22.

[0040] Furthermore, with the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, if one of the four unit components described above is damaged or malfunctions, repair is possible by simply replacing the damaged or malfunctioning unit component, thereby improving the repairability of the electronic pen.

[0041] 3A is a cutaway view of only the pen tip side housing 21 and the rear end side housing 22 that constitute the electronic pen outer housing 2 of the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, illustrating how a unit coupling part 6S, which couples the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S, is stored within the electronic pen outer housing 2. The storage state of the unit coupling part 6D, which couples the power supply unit 4D and the electronic pen main body unit 3, is the same as in FIG. 3 except that the power supply unit 4D is connected instead of the power supply unit 4S, and therefore will not be shown or described here.

[0042] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2 (A), a grip member 21C made of, for example, rubber is attached to the pen tip side housing portion 21 so that when a user holds the electronic pen 1, the electronic pen 1 can be firmly held at the gripping position.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3 (A), in this embodiment, the axial length of the pen tip side housing 21 is such that when the electronic pen main body unit 3 is stored in the hollow space of the pen tip side housing 21, the rear end portion that is connected to the power supply unit 4S is exposed to the outside of the pen tip side housing 21.

[0044] 1B, 2B, and 3A, the electronic pen main body unit 3 in this embodiment has a step 3s between the pen tip side end of the unit housing 3K and the peripheral electrode 7 protruding from the pen tip side of the unit housing 3K. Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 3A, the diameter of the hollow space of the pen tip side housing 21 excluding the pen tip side is larger than the diameter of the unit housing 3K of the electronic pen main body unit 3, and the diameter on the pen tip side is larger than the maximum diameter of the peripheral electrode 7 of the electronic pen main body unit 3 but smaller than the diameter of the unit housing 3K, so that a step 21s is formed in the vicinity of the pen tip side of the pen tip side housing 3K.

[0045] Therefore, as shown in Figure 3 (A), when the electronic pen main body unit 3 is inserted into the hollow space of the pen tip side housing 21 from the rear end side, the step portion 3s on the pen tip side of the electronic pen main body unit 3 abuts against the step portion 21s on the pen tip side of the pen tip side housing 21, restricting movement in the axial direction toward the opening 21a of the pen tip side housing 21.

[0046] As shown in Figure 3 (A), the diameter of the hollow space of the rear end side housing portion 22 is larger than the diameter of the unit housing 4KS of the power supply unit 4S, and its axial length is such that when the rear end side housing portion 22 is screwed and coupled to the pen tip side housing portion 21, the rear end side end of the power supply unit 4S coupled to the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the internal end face of the lid portion 22b facing the hollow space just come into contact with each other.

[0047] As a result, the unit connection part 6S, which connects the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S, is stored in a state where it cannot move in the axial direction within the columnar storage space 2a of the electronic pen outer housing 2, which is formed by connecting the pen tip side housing part 21 and the rear end side housing part 22, as shown in Figure 3 (A).

[0048] 3A, in this embodiment, the core body 5 is attached to the electronic pen main body unit 3 through the opening 21a of the pen tip side housing 21 after the unit coupling part 6S, which couples the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S, is housed in the columnar housing space 2a of the electronic pen outer housing 2. In other words, in this embodiment, the core body 5 is configured so as to be detachably attached to the electronic pen 1 in a state in which the unit coupling part 6S, which couples the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S, is housed in the columnar housing space 2a of the electronic pen outer housing 2.

[0049] In this embodiment of the electronic pen 1, when the cover portion 22b of the rear end housing portion 22 is removed, the charging terminal for charging the secondary battery of the power supply unit 4S is exposed to the outside, as described below.

[0050] With the lid portion 22b removed, the unit connecting part 6S stored in the columnar storage space 2a of the electronic pen outer housing 2 can be removed from the rear end opening of the rear end housing portion 22, and the unit connecting part 6S can also be inserted into the columnar storage space 2a from the rear end opening of the rear end housing portion 22. For this reason, the electronic pen outer housing 2 can be configured such that the pen tip side housing portion 21 and the rear end side housing portion 22 are connected together, or the pen tip side housing portion 21 and the rear end side housing portion 22 are integrally formed, forming a first housing portion, and the lid portion 22b is configured as a second housing portion.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 3A , in this embodiment, the core body 5 is configured so that the unit coupling part 6S, which couples the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S, can be attached to the electronic pen main body unit 3 through the opening 21a of the pen tip side housing 21 after the unit coupling part 6S is housed in the columnar housing space 2a of the electronic pen outer housing 2. However, as shown in FIG. 3B , only the tip of the core body 5 may be protruded from the opening 21a of the pen tip side housing 21, so that the core body 5 cannot be replaced while the unit coupling part 6S is housed in the columnar housing space 2a inside the electronic pen outer housing 2. This is because, in the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, the electronic pen main body unit 3 can be removed from the electronic pen outer housing 2 to replace the core body 5.

[0052] 3(C), as a modification of the example of Fig. 3(B), the pen tip side housing 21 may be divided into a cylindrical housing 23 and a conical sleeve housing 24, which are joined together by a screw 25. In the example of Fig. 3(C), when the pen tip side housing 21 and the rear end side housing 22 are joined together, the sleeve housing 24 can be removed from the cylindrical housing 23 to expose the pen tip side of the electronic pen main body unit 3 to the outside, and the core 5 can be removed from the electronic pen main body unit 3 and replaced.

[0053] Therefore, as a derivative of the configuration of the example in Figure 3 (C), the electronic pen outer casing 2 can be configured such that the sleeve casing portion 24 is the first casing portion and the cylindrical casing portion 23 of the pen tip side casing portion 21 is combined with the rear end side casing portion 22, or the cylindrical casing portion 23 of the pen tip side casing portion 21 and the rear end side casing portion 22 are integrally formed as the second casing portion.

[0054] Next, an example of the configuration of the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4 housed in the electronic pen outer casing 2 will be described.

[0055] [Configuration Example of Electronic Pen Main Body Unit 3] Figures 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the electronic pen main body unit 3 in the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, with Figure 4A showing the external appearance and corresponding to an enlarged view of the electronic pen main body unit 3 shown in Figures 1B and 2B. Figure 4B is an exploded perspective view of the electronic pen main body unit 3. Figure 5A is a cross-sectional view of the portion of the electronic pen main body unit 3 on the core 5 side taken along line A-A in Figure 4A.

[0056] In this embodiment, the electronic pen main body unit 3 is composed of a unit housing 3K, a board holder 31, a circuit board 32 held by the board holder 31, three contact pins 331, 332, and 333 in this example, a pen tip side component 34, a pen tip side cap member 35, and a core 5. The contact pins 331, 332, and 333 are made of conductive metal. The core 5 is detachable from the pen tip side component 34 of the electronic pen main body unit 3.

[0057] As described above, the unit housing 3K is configured as a metal pipe made of SUS, an example of a conductive metal, and has an outer diameter that allows it to be housed inside the electronic pen outer housing 2, as well as a cylindrical hollow space with a predetermined inner diameter. As described above, in this example, two elastic protrusions 3Kb are provided on the side surface on the rear end side of the unit housing 3K, at positions spaced apart by an angle of 180 degrees, with parts of the protrusions 3Kb protruding from the peripheral side surface of the unit housing 3K.

[0058] The board holder 31 has a boat-like shape and is housed in the hollow space of the unit housing 3K, and its length in the longitudinal direction corresponding to the axial direction of the unit housing 3K is slightly shorter than the axial length of the unit housing 3K. A pen tip side component holding section 311 is provided on the pen tip side of the longitudinal direction of the board holder 31, a terminal section 312 is provided on the rear end side, and a board placement section 313 is formed in the middle.

[0059] The pen tip side component holding portion 311 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and as will be described later, the rear end side of the pen tip side component 34 is fitted into and held within the internal hollow space of the cylindrically formed portion.

[0060] The rear terminal portion 312 includes a cylindrical portion 312a having an outer diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the unit housing 3K, and a ring-shaped flange protrusion 312b protruding from the rear end of the cylindrical portion 312a in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction from the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 312a. The height of the flange protrusion 312b in the protruding direction is equal to the thickness of the unit housing 3K. Therefore, when the board holder 31 is housed in the unit housing 3K, the cylindrical portion 312a of the terminal portion 312 of the board holder 31 closes the rear end of the unit housing 3K, and the flange protrusion 312b engages with the rear end of the unit housing 3K and is exposed to the outside. In this embodiment, the positioning protrusion 3Ka described above is formed at a predetermined angular position on the circumference of the flange protrusion 312b.

[0061] The board mounting portion 313 has a board mounting surface formed by cutting out a semicircular portion or more of the cylindrical portion between the pen tip component holding portion 311 and the rear end terminal portion 312, and the cutout surface is configured as a flat surface. The circuit board 32 is placed and held on the board mounting surface of the board mounting portion 313.

[0062] In this example, the circuit board 32 is configured in the shape of a long, narrow rectangular plate, and a signal generating circuit and other electronic components, which will be described later, are provided on the surface of the board. Furthermore, although not shown, the circuit board 32 is also provided with a conductive pattern for electrically connecting the electrical components of the pen tip side component 34 and contact pins 331, 332, and 333 provided on the terminal portion 312, which will be described below, to the electronic components on the board surface.

[0063] In this example, the cylindrical portion 312a of the rear-end terminal portion 312 is formed with three pin holes 312c through which the three contact pins 331, 332, and 333 pass in the axial direction. In this example, the three pin holes 312c are arranged at equal intervals along a straight line that passes through the center of the circular end face of the cylindrical portion 312a of the terminal portion 312 and is parallel to the substrate mounting surface of the substrate mounting portion 313. In this example, the central pin hole of the three pin holes 312c is formed to be at the center position of the circular end face of the cylindrical portion 312a. In this example, the positioning protrusion 3Ka is located on a line that is perpendicular to the line on which the three pin holes 312c are arranged and that passes through the position of the central pin hole of the three pin holes 312c.

[0064] The three contact pins 331, 332, 333 are longer in the axial direction than the cylindrical portion 312a of the terminal portion 312, and pass through the three pin holes 312c of the terminal portion 312 so that their respective tips are exposed on the circuit board 32. The tips of the three contact pins 331, 332, 333 exposed on the circuit board 32 are connected to the respective predetermined conductive patterns of the circuit board 32.

[0065] Furthermore, when the three contact pins 331, 332, and 333 are inserted through the three pin holes 312c of the terminal portion 312 and attached, the heads of the three contact pins 331, 332, and 333 are exposed to the outside at the circular end surface of the cylindrical portion 312a of the terminal portion 312 on the flange protrusion 312b side. In this case, in this embodiment, as will be described later, the central contact pin 332 of the three contact pins 331, 332, and 333 is used for connection in common with the power supply unit 4S and the power supply unit 4D, while the two contact pins 331 and 332 on either side are used only for connection with the power supply unit 4S. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the head of the central contact pin 332 of the three contact pins 331, 332, and 333 is configured to protrude in the axial direction more than the heads of the other contact pins 331 and 333.

[0066] 4 and 5, in this example, the pen tip side component 34 is configured by attaching a peripheral electrode 7 to the pen tip side of the pen pressure detection unit holder part 340. The pen pressure detection unit holder part 340 is a cylindrical holder and includes a pen pressure detection unit 9 and a pen pressure transmission member 8, as shown in Fig. 5. The outer diameter of the cylindrical holder of the pen pressure detection unit holder part 340 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the pen tip side component holding part 311 of the substrate holder 31.

[0067] The peripheral electrode 7 is cylindrical and made of a conductive material, such as a conductive metal, and is arranged to surround the core body 5 including the conductive center electrode, as will be described later, and in this example, serves as an electrode that receives signals from the position detection sensor. In this example, the peripheral electrode 7 has a tapered shape that tapers toward the pen tip, and the maximum value of its outer diameter is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the pen tip-side component holding portion 311 of the substrate holder 31.

[0068] From the rear end surface of this pen tip side component 34, in addition to the electrical connection terminal of the pen pressure detection unit 9 described later, a terminal electrically connected to the peripheral electrode 7 and a terminal electrically connected to the conductor portion (center electrode) of the core body 5 are led out.

[0069] The rear end portion of the pen tip side component 340 of the pen pressure detection unit holder portion 340 is stored within the pen tip side component holding portion 311 of the substrate holder 31, and the electrical connection terminal of the above-mentioned pen pressure detection unit 9, the terminal electrically connected to the peripheral electrode 7, and the terminal electrically connected to the conductor portion of the core body 5 are electrically connected to a predetermined conductor pattern on the circuit board 32.

[0070] In the board holder 31, a circuit board 32 on which predetermined electronic components are arranged is placed and held on the board mounting surface of the board mounting section 313, and electrical connections are made between the contact pins 331, 332, 333 of the terminal section 312 and the conductive pattern of the circuit board 32, and further, electrical connections are made between each terminal of the pen tip side component 34 housed in the pen tip side component holding section 311 and the conductive pattern of the circuit board 32, and then the circuit board is inserted into the hollow section of the unit housing 3K from the rear end side of the unit housing 3K.

[0071] The board holder 31 is inserted into the unit housing 3K until the flange protrusion 312b of the terminal portion 312 abuts against the ring-shaped end surface on the rear end side of the unit housing 3K. Thereafter, the metal unit housing 3K is crimped at a portion that corresponds to the cylindrical portion 312a of the terminal portion 312 of the board holder 31, thereby fixing the board holder 31 to the inside of the unit housing 3K.

[0072] At this time, as described above, the opening on the rear end side of the unit housing 3K is closed by the portion where the flange protrusion 312b of the terminal portion 312 of the board holder 31 is formed, and the heads of the three contact pins are exposed to the outside at the end face of the portion where the flange protrusion 312b of the terminal portion 312 is formed. Also, from the pen tip side opening of the unit housing 3K, the portion near the joint between the peripheral electrode 7 of the pen tip side component 34 and the peripheral electrode 7 of the pen pressure detection unit holder portion 340 protrudes to the outside (see FIG. 4A).

[0073] In this example, the pen tip side cap member 35 is made of an insulating and elastic material, such as non-conductive rubber. The pen tip side cap member 35 includes a cylindrical portion 35a whose inner diameter is equal to or slightly larger than the maximum outer diameter of the peripheral electrode 7 and equal to or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow portion of the unit housing 3K. The tip flange portion 35b, located on the pen tip side of the cylindrical portion 35a, has an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 35a. In this example, the maximum outer diameter of the tip flange portion 35b is larger than the diameter of the cylindrical portion 35a by the thickness of the unit housing 3K. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B , a step 35c is formed at the boundary between the cylindrical portion 35a and the tip flange portion 35b.

[0074] The tubular portion 35a of the pen tip side cap member 35 is inserted into the unit housing 3K from the pen tip side so that the tubular portion 35a covers the connection portion between the peripheral electrode 7 protruding from the pen tip side of the unit housing 3K and the writing pressure detection unit holder portion 340. At this time, when the pen tip side cap member 35 is inserted into the pen tip side of the unit housing 3K until the step portion 35c of the pen tip side cap member 35 abuts against the ring-shaped end face of the pen tip side opening of the unit housing 3K, a protrusion provided on the writing pressure detection unit holder portion 340 fits into a recessed hole 35d formed in the tubular portion 35a, and the pen tip side cap member 35 is locked to the unit housing 3K.

[0075] 4A, the pen tip side component 34 is configured to be locked within the unit housing 3K by the pen tip side cap member 35, with the pen tip side tapered portion of the peripheral electrode 7 protruding outward from the pen tip side opening of the unit housing 3K. In this state, the metal unit housing 3K is crimped at a portion corresponding to the cylindrical portion 35a of the pen tip side cap member 35, thereby storing and fixing the functional portion of the electronic pen main body, which is made up of the substrate holder 31 and the pen tip side component 34, within the unit housing 3K. Then, the core 5 is inserted into the pen tip side opening of the peripheral electrode 7 and locked to the pen tip side component 34, thereby forming the electronic pen main body unit 3 shown in FIG.

[0076] As shown in Figures 1(B), (C), 2(B), (C), 3, 4(A) and (B), the end surface of the pen tip side of the pen tip side cap member 35 forms a step portion between itself and the peripheral side surface of the peripheral electrode 7, and this step portion forms a step portion 3s between itself and the peripheral electrode 7 protruding from the pen tip side of the unit housing 3K.

[0077] <Detailed Configuration Example of Pen Tip Side of Electronic Pen Body Unit 3> Next, a configuration example of the pen tip side inside the electronic pen body unit 3 will be further described with reference to FIG. 5A, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4A.

[0078] As shown in Fig. 4(B) above, the pen tip side component 34 is configured by connecting the peripheral electrode 7 and the writing pressure detection unit holder part 340, but as shown in Fig. 5(A) , the writing pressure detection unit holder part 340 is formed by connecting a pipe-shaped holding member 341 and a cup-shaped writing pressure detection unit holding member 342. Then, in the communicating space within the peripheral electrode 7 and the writing pressure detection unit holder part 340, the core body 5, the writing pressure transmission member 8, and the writing pressure detection unit 9 are arranged in series in the axial direction with their central axes aligned.

[0079] 5A, in this example, the core body 5 is configured such that most of the center electrode 51, made of a conductive material, except for the rear end side, is covered with a protective member 52 made of a non-conductive material. In this example, the core body 5 has a structure in which a space (air layer) 53 is provided between the center electrode 51 and the protective member 52, as shown in FIG.

[0080] The signal (electric field) radiated from the portion of the center electrode 51 of the core body 5 that is closer to the tip than the wide portion of the egg-shaped pen tip is radiated relatively efficiently only via the protective member 52. However, radiation of the signal (electric field) from the narrow portion of the center electrode 51 that is closer to the rear end than the egg-shaped pen tip is suppressed by the action of the space 53 and the protective member 52. This is because the space 53 and the protective member 52 have different dielectric constants, and this portion functions like a double capacitor. As a result, even if the electronic pen 1 is tilted with respect to the input surface of the position detection sensor, the center electrode 51 can transmit a good signal that is not unnecessarily broad.

[0081] The peripheral electrode 7 is attached to the pen tip side of the pipe-shaped holding member 341 of the pen pressure detection unit holder 340 by covering the connection between the peripheral electrode 7 and the pipe-shaped holding member 341 with the pen tip side cap member 35. The tip surface of the pipe-shaped holding member 341 abuts against the rear end surface of the peripheral electrode 7, as shown in FIG.

[0082] 5A, a coil spring 11C for the peripheral electrode, which is made of a conductive material, in this example, a conductive metal, is provided on the pen tip side of the pipe-shaped holding member 341. One end of this coil spring 11C is connected to the peripheral electrode 7. The other end of the coil spring 13C, as shown in FIG. 5A, serves as end 11Ca of an extension wire (conductor wire) extending from the coil spring 13C, which is led onto the circuit board 32 and connected to a predetermined conductor pattern on the circuit board 32.

[0083] In this embodiment, the unit housing 3K of the electronic pen main body unit 3, which is made of conductive metal, is connected to the earth conductor of the circuit board 32.

[0084] The writing pressure transmission member 8 is composed of two separate components: a core holding member 81 located on the pen tip side, and a pressing member 82. In this embodiment, the core holding member 81 and pressing member 82 are formed from a non-conductive material, such as hard resin. The core holding member 81 has a cup-shaped holding portion 81a with a recess, and an extension portion 81b that extends from the rear end of the holding portion 81a toward the rear end in the direction opposite the pen tip. A conductive ring-shaped elastic member 81c, such as conductive rubber, is provided in the recess of the holding portion 81a.

[0085] 5A, when the exposed portion of the center electrode 51 on the rear end side of the core 5 is inserted into the recess in the holding portion 81a of the core holding member 81, the elastic member 81c tightens around the exposed portion of the center electrode 51, and the core 5 is held by the core holding member 81. While the core 5 is held by the core holding member 81, it can be removed from the core holding member 81 by pinching the pen tip portion with, for example, a fingernail and pulling it out.

[0086] In this embodiment, when the core body 5 is inserted into the pen tip side component 34, as shown in Fig. 5(A), the pen tip side tip portion 7a of the peripheral electrode 7 is configured to abut against the side circumferential surface of the protective member 52 at the small diameter portion rearward of the tapered tip portion of the core body 5, thereby restricting the core body 5 from moving in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction at the abutting portion. Because of this configuration, the pen tip side tip portion 7a of the peripheral electrode 7 protrudes inward as shown in Fig. 5(A), and the size of the pen tip side opening of the peripheral electrode 7 is configured to be approximately equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the abutting portion of the core body 5. As a result, the core body 5 is attached to the pen tip side component 34 without any rattle at the pen tip side opening of the peripheral electrode 7.

[0087] In order to configure the core body 5 so that it does not move in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction near the pen tip side opening of the electronic pen 1, rather than abutting and supporting the core body 5 with the pen tip side tip 7a of the peripheral electrode 7 as in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5 (B), the pen tip side tip of the electronic pen outer casing 2 of the electronic pen 1, or in the case of the above-mentioned embodiment, the pen tip side tip 21c of the pen tip side casing part 21, may be configured in the same way as the pen tip side tip 7a of the peripheral electrode 7.

[0088] That is, as shown in Fig. 5(B), the tip of the peripheral electrode 7 on the pen tip side is made larger in diameter than the part that faces it when the core body 5 is attached, and the tip side tip 21c of the electronic pen outer casing 2 is made to protrude inward as shown in Fig. 5(B), so that the size of the pen tip side opening 21a of the pen tip side casing 21 is configured to be approximately equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the contact part of the core body 5. As a result, the core body 5 can be attached to the electronic pen 1 without any rattle in the pen tip side opening 21a of the pen tip side casing 21.

[0089] 5(B), when the tip of the electronic pen outer casing 2 on the pen tip side is configured to restrict the core 5 from moving in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction near the pen tip side opening of the electronic pen 1, the pen tip side of the electronic pen outer casing 2 needs to be precisely configured to match the configuration of the core 5. This makes it difficult to manufacture the electronic pen outer casing 2 completely separately from the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the core 5, which limits the freedom of design and configuration of the electronic pen outer casing 2.

[0090] In this regard, when the tip portion 7a on the pen tip side of the peripheral electrode 7 of the electronic pen main body unit 3 is configured as described above, as in this embodiment, the opening on the pen tip side of the electronic pen outer casing 2 simply needs to be configured so that it can accommodate the electronic pen main body unit 3 and so that at least the tip portion of the core body 5 attached to the pen tip side of the electronic pen main body unit 3 can protrude to the outside, as shown in Figures 3 (A), (B), and (C) above.This increases the freedom of design of the electronic pen outer casing 2, and has the effect of allowing it to be manufactured completely separately from the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the core body 5.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 5A , a core coil spring 10C made of a conductive material, in this example, a conductive metal, is provided around the extension 81b of the core holding member 81 of the writing pressure transmission member 8. The extension 81b of the core holding member 81 penetrates the center of the core coil spring 10C. In this case, one turn (one winding) of the core coil spring 10C on the holding portion 81a side of the core holding member 81 fits into a recess provided on the side between the holding portion 81a and the extension 81b of the core holding member 81, so that the core coil spring 10C holds the core holding member 81. However, the core holding member 81 is not biased axially by the core coil spring 10C. In other words, the core holding member 81 is held within the pen tip side component 34 while hanging from the core coil spring 10C.

[0092] Furthermore, one end of the core coil spring 10C on the pen tip side is connected to a conductive elastic member 81c provided on the holding portion 81a of the core holding member 81, and the other end 10Ca on the rear side, as shown in Figure 5(A), extends onto the circuit board 32 and is connected to the signal transmission circuit of the circuit board 32. As a result, a signal from the signal transmission circuit of the circuit board 32 is supplied to the center electrode 51 of the core 5 through the core coil spring 10C and the elastic member 81c, and is transmitted from the center electrode 51 to the position detection sensor.

[0093] In this example, the pressing member 82 constituting the writing pressure transmission member 8 is mushroom-shaped and comprises a pressing head 82a that faces the writing pressure detection unit 9, and a stalk-shaped portion 82b that is connected to the core holding member 81 and has a diameter shorter than that of the pressing head 82a. The end face of the pressing head 82a that faces the writing pressure detection unit 9 is a convex curved surface with its center as the apex.

[0094] In this embodiment, the end face of the pressing member 82 on the side where it is coupled to the core holding member 81 is also a convex curved surface with its center at an apex, similar to the end face of the pressing head 82a. Meanwhile, in this example, the end face of the core holding member 81 on the side where it is coupled to the pressing member 82 is a concave curved surface corresponding to the convex curved surface of the pressing member 82a. This allows the concave curved surface of the core holding member 81 to be displaced relative to the convex curved surface of the pressing member 82 so that the axial directions of the core 5 and the core holding member 81 are displaced from the axial direction of the electronic pen outer housing 2 when the direction of the writing pressure applied to the tip of the core 5 is obliquely offset from the axial direction of the electronic pen outer housing 2. Note that the actual amount of displacement of the concave curved surface of the core holding member 81 is small. In this embodiment, even when the connecting side of the extension portion 81b of the core holding member 81 with the pressing member 82 is displaced, the pressing member 82 maintains a state in which its axial direction is aligned with the axial direction of the electronic pen outer casing 2.

[0095] 5A, the pen pressure detection unit 9 in this example is configured as a variable capacitance capacitor in which a circular flat plate-shaped first electrode 91 faces one surface of a circular flat plate-shaped dielectric 93 via a ring-shaped spacer 92, and a circular metallic second electrode 94 is attached to the other surface of the dielectric 93. The first electrode 91 is made of a conductive elastic material such as conductive rubber.

[0096] 5A, one end of a first electrode coil spring 95 made of a conductive material such as a conductive metal is in contact with the first electrode 91 of the pen pressure detection unit 9, and the other end 95t of this first electrode coil spring 95 is led out onto the circuit board 32. In addition, a terminal piece 94t connected to the second electrode 94 is led out onto the circuit board 32. The other end 95t of the first electrode coil spring 95 and the terminal piece 94t connected to the second electrode 94 are connected to a predetermined conductor pattern on the circuit board 32.

[0097] When writing pressure is applied to the core 5, the tip of which protrudes from the opening in the electronic pen outer casing 2 of the electronic pen 1, the writing pressure is transmitted to the writing pressure detection unit 9 via the core holding member 81 and the pressing member 82 of the writing pressure transmission member 8. That is, when writing pressure is applied to the core 5, the pressing member 82 of the writing pressure transmission member 8 presses the first electrode 91 of the writing pressure detection unit 9, causing it to approach and contact the dielectric 93 via the ring-shaped spacer 92. The contact area between the first electrode 91 and the dielectric 93 at this time changes depending on the writing pressure applied to the core 5. Therefore, the capacitance of the variable capacitor formed by the first electrode 91 and the second electrode 94 facing each other with the dielectric 93 interposed therebetween changes depending on the writing pressure applied to the core 5. In this way, the writing pressure detection unit 9 detects the writing pressure applied to the core 5 in real time based on this change in capacitance. When the writing pressure applied to the core body 5 is removed, the first electrode 91 pushes back the writing pressure transmission member 8 and the core body 5, and the writing pressure transmission member 8 and the core body 5 return to their original positions.

[0098] In this case, in this embodiment, the pen pressure transmission member 8 is separated into a core body holding member 81 and a pressing member 82, and the core body holding member 81 is configured to be connected to the pressing member 82 on the connecting side so that it can be displaced in a direction intersecting the axial direction relative to the pressing member 82.Therefore, compared to when the pen pressure transmission member 8 is configured as a single component, the pen pressure can be properly detected by the pen pressure detection unit 9.

[0099] For example, when writing pressure is applied to the core 5 in a direction that coincides with the axial direction of the core 5, whether the writing pressure transmission member is configured as a single component or, as in this embodiment, the writing pressure transmission member 8 is configured separately from the core holding member 81 and the pressing member 82, the convex curved surface of the writing pressure transmission member 8 will come into contact in a circular region centered approximately at the center of the first electrode 91 of the writing pressure detection unit 9, as shown by the hatched area in Figure 6 (A). This allows the writing pressure applied to the core 5 via the writing pressure transmission member 8 to be properly detected by the writing pressure detection unit 9.

[0100] On the other hand, when the electronic pen 1 contacts the input surface of the position detection sensor in an inclined state, for example, and writing pressure is applied to the core body 5 in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the core body 5, if the writing pressure transmission member is configured as a single component, the writing pressure applied to the core body 5 will displace the core body 5 and the writing pressure transmission member so that its axial direction is inclined and shifted from the axial direction of the electronic pen outer casing 2, and the contact position between the end of the writing pressure transmission member and the first electrode 91 of the writing pressure detection unit 9 will be in an area shifted in the direction opposite to the direction in which the writing pressure is applied, as shown by the diagonal lines in Figure 6(B) . For this reason, there is a risk that the writing pressure applied to the core body 5 will not be properly detected by the writing pressure detection unit 9.

[0101] In contrast, the writing pressure transmission member 8 of the electronic pen main body unit 3 of the electronic pen 1 in this embodiment is separated into a core body holding member 81 and a pressing member 82, and in this example, at the joint between the core body holding member 81 and the pressing member 82, they are configured to be in contact with each other at a curved surface so that the core body holding member 81 can move in a direction intersecting the axial direction relative to the pressing member 82.

[0102] Therefore, when writing pressure is applied to the core body 5 in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the core body 5, only the core body holding member 81 is displaced by the writing pressure applied to the core body 5 so that its axial direction is tilted and deviated from the axial direction of the electronic pen outer casing 2, but the pressing member 82 receives the writing pressure applied to the core body 5 via the core body holding member 81 while maintaining a state in which its axial direction is aligned with the axial direction of the electronic pen outer casing 2, and comes into contact with and presses the first electrode 91 of the writing pressure detection unit 9. In other words, even when writing pressure is applied to the core body 5 in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the core body 5, the pressing member 82 maintains a state in which it is in contact with a circular region centered approximately at the center of the first electrode 91 of the writing pressure detection unit 9, as shown in FIG. 6A . This allows the writing pressure applied to the core body 5 via the writing pressure transmission member 8 to be properly detected by the writing pressure detection unit 9.

[0103] 5A, the core body 5 is restricted from moving in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction by the tip 7a of the peripheral electrode 7 at the small diameter portion on the rear side of the tapered tip portion that protrudes outward from the opening at the tip of the peripheral electrode 7. Therefore, when writing pressure is applied to the core body 5 in a direction that intersects with the axial direction of the core body 5, the core body 5 and the core body holding member 81 are displaced so as to tilt, with the position supported by the tip 7a of the peripheral electrode 7 as the fulcrum position.

[0104] Therefore, the tilt displacement of the core body 5 and the core body holding member 81 is smaller than when the core body 5 is not supported by the tip 7a of the peripheral electrode 7, and therefore the displacement of the contact position of the pressing member 82 with the first electrode 91 of the writing pressure detection unit 9 from the circular area centered approximately at the center position of the first electrode 91 of the writing pressure detection unit 9 is smaller. This reduces the possibility that the writing pressure applied to the core body 5 by the writing pressure detection unit 9 will not be able to be detected properly.

[0105] 5(B), this effect can be similarly obtained when the core 5 is regulated and supported by the opening on the pen tip side of the electronic pen outer casing, rather than by the tip 7a of the peripheral electrode 7. Furthermore, even when the writing pressure transmission member 8 is formed as a single component rather than being separated into the core holding member 81 and the pressing member 82, the effect of reducing displacement of the contact position of the pressing member 82 with the first electrode 91 of the writing pressure detection unit 9 from a circular region centered approximately at the center position of the first electrode 91 of the writing pressure detection unit 9 can be obtained, thereby reducing the possibility that the writing pressure applied to the core 5 by the writing pressure detection unit 9 will not be able to be detected properly.

[0106] As described above, in this embodiment, the pen pressure transmission member 8 is separated into a core body holding member 81 and a pressing member 82, and the core body holding member 82 is configured to be movable in a direction intersecting the axial direction relative to the pressing member 82.Furthermore, the core body 5 is supported in contact with the core body 5 at the middle of its axial direction so that the core body 5 does not move in a direction intersecting the axial direction.This has the effect of allowing the pen pressure detection unit 9 to properly detect the pen pressure applied to the core body 5 even if the direction in which the pen pressure is applied to the core body 5 is obliquely shifted from the axial direction.

[0107] <Modifications of the joint between the core holding member 81 and the pressing member 82 of the writing pressure transmission member 8> In the above-described embodiment, the joint between the core holding member 81 and the pressing member 82 of the writing pressure transmission member 8 has a concave curved rear end surface of the extending portion 81b of the core holding member 81 and a convex curved pen tip side end surface of the stem-shaped portion 82b of the pressing member 82, but the shapes of the rear end surface of the extending portion 81b of the core holding member 81 and the pen tip side end surface of the stem-shaped portion 82b of the pressing member 82 are not limited to this. Some modifications will be described below using Figures 7 and 8.

[0108] In the example of the writing pressure transmission member 8A in Figure 7 (A), the rear end surface of the extension portion 81bA of the core holding member 81A is a convex curved surface, and the pen tip side end surface of the stem-shaped portion 82bA of the pressing member 82A is a concave curved surface.

[0109] 7(B), the rear end surface of the extension 81bB of the core holding member 81B is not entirely concave, but only a central portion of the circular end surface at a predetermined radius from the center thereof is concave 81bBx, and a flat edge 81bBf is provided around the concave surface 81bBx. In contrast, the pen tip side end surface of the pressing member 82B is a convex surface 82bBx that corresponds to the concave surface 81bBx of the rear end surface of the core holding member 81B.

[0110] Furthermore, in the example of the pen pressure transmission member 8C shown in Figure 7 (C), contrary to the example of the pen pressure transmission member 8B in Figure 7 (B), the pen tip side end surface of the pressing member 82C is not made into a concave curved surface over the entire end surface, but only a central portion of the circular end surface at a predetermined radius from the center thereof is made into a concave curved surface 82bCx, and a flat edge portion 82bCf is provided around the concave curved surface 82bCx, and furthermore, the rear end surface of the extension portion 81bC of the core holding member 81C is made into a convex curved surface 81bCx corresponding to the concave curved surface 81bDx of the pen tip side end surface of the pressing member 82C.

[0111] 7(B), the radius and degree of protrusion of the convex curved surface 82bBx of the stalk-shaped portion 82bB, the radius of curvature and depth of the concave curved surface 81bBx of the extension portion 81bB, etc. can be appropriately set to suit the size of the electronic pen 1. Similarly, in the case of the pen pressure transmission member 8C of the example shown in FIG. 7(C), the radius and degree of protrusion of the convex curved surface 82bCx of the extension portion 81bC, and the radius and depth of the concave curved surface 82bCx of the stalk-shaped portion 82bE, etc. can be appropriately set to suit the size of the electronic pen 1.

[0112] In the case of the writing pressure transmission member in the above-described modified examples and the embodiment, the rear end surface of the core holding member and the pen tip end surface of the pressing member are formed as a concave curved surface and a convex curved surface, respectively, but the bottom surface of the concave curved surface may be flat, and the apex of the convex curved surface may be flat. In short, it is sufficient that the opposing concave and convex curved surfaces function like a so-called universal joint, and that even if pressure is applied to the core 5 in a direction intersecting the axial direction, the writing pressure in the axial direction can be appropriately transmitted to the writing pressure detection unit 9.

[0113] Furthermore, the shapes of the rear end surface of the extension portion 81b of the core holding member 81 and the pen tip side end surface of the stem-shaped portion 82b of the pressing member 82 are not limited to the above example, where one is a convex curved surface and the other is a concave curved surface.

[0114] In the example of the writing pressure transmission member 8D in Figure 8 (A), the rear end surface of the extension portion 81bD of the core holding member 81D is convexly curved, and the pen tip side end surface of the stem-shaped portion 82bD of the pressing member 82D is also convexly curved.

[0115] 8(B), the rear end surface of the extension 81bE of the core holding member 81E is flat, and the pen tip side end surface of the stem-shaped portion 82bE of the pressing member 82E is convex. Conversely, in the example of the pen pressure transmitting member 8F of FIG. 8(C), the rear end surface of the extension 81bF of the core holding member 81F is convex, and the pen tip side end surface of the stem-shaped portion 82bF of the pressing member 82F is flat.

[0116] Furthermore, since it is sufficient if the rear end face of the core holding member can be slightly displaced in a direction intersecting the axial direction relative to the pen tip side end face of the pressing member, as in the example of the pen pressure transmission member 8G in Figure 8 (D), the rear end face of the extension portion 81bE of the core holding member 81E may be made flat, and the pen tip side end face of the stem-shaped portion 82bE of the pressing member 82E may also be made flat.

[0117] 7 and 8 described above, even when a writing pressure is applied to the core body 5 in an oblique direction intersecting the axial direction, the contact position and contact surface between the pressing member and the first electrode of the writing pressure detection unit 9 do not change significantly, and the state shown in Fig. 6(B) is not reached. Therefore, the writing pressure applied to the core body 5 can be appropriately transmitted to the writing pressure detection unit 9 via the writing pressure transmission member, and the writing pressure can be appropriately detected by the writing pressure detection unit 9.

[0118] [Configuration Example of Power Supply Unit] <Configuration Example of Power Supply Unit 4S> Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the power supply unit 4S. Figure 9(A) is a diagram showing the appearance of the power supply unit 4S, and Figure 9(B) is a diagram of the power supply unit 4S as viewed from the rear end side in the axial direction. Figure 9(C) is a diagram illustrating the components of the power supply unit 4S, in which the power supply unit 4S is composed of a cylindrical unit housing 4SK, in this example, and a secondary battery module 40 housed in the hollow portion of the unit housing 4SK.

[0119] In this example, the secondary battery module 40 is configured to have a cylindrical appearance, and the outer diameter of this cylindrical secondary battery module 40 is selected to be smaller than the inner diameter of the unit housing 4SK, so that it is inserted and housed in the hollow portion of the unit housing 4SK. Note that, in this example, the axial length of the secondary battery module 40 is the length from the rear end of the unit housing 4SK to the bottom of the recess 4SKFa of the fitting portion 4SKF.

[0120] 9(D) is an exploded view of the secondary battery module 40. As shown in Fig. 9(D), the secondary battery module 40 in this embodiment includes a secondary battery 41, which is a lithium-ion battery in this example, a circuit board 42, a type C USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector 43 as an example of a charging connector, a boat-shaped holder 44 made of resin as an example of an insulating material, a holder cover 45 also made of resin as an example of an insulating material, a plurality of connection pins 461, 462, and 463 (three in this example) for electrical connection with the electronic pen main body unit 3, and an elastic rubber member 47 as an example of a cushioning elastic member.

[0121] In this example, connection pin 461 is connected to the charging terminal of USB connector 43, connection pin 462 is connected to the positive terminal of secondary battery 41, and connection pin 463 is connected to the negative terminal of secondary battery 41. In this example, connection pins 461, 462, and 463 are configured as pogo pins. Note that on circuit board 42, connection pin 463, which is connected to the negative terminal of secondary battery 41, has a conductive pattern formed so that it is also connected to the ground terminal of USB connector 43. In the following description, connection pins 461, 462, and 463 will be referred to as pogo pins 461, 462, and 463.

[0122] The secondary battery 41 is fixed to the circuit board 42 by inserting its positive terminal 41a and negative terminal 41b into terminal holes formed in the circuit board 42 and soldering them to the conductive pattern of the circuit board 42. A USB connector 43 is attached to the rear end of the circuit board 42 in the axial direction, and a charging terminal lead portion and a ground terminal lead portion of the USB connector 43 are soldered to the conductive pattern of the circuit board 42.

[0123] Furthermore, on the coupling side of the circuit board 42 with the electronic pen main body unit 3, there are formed a conductor pattern 421 to which the charging terminal of the USB connector 43 is connected, a conductor pattern 422 to which the positive terminal of the secondary battery 41 is connected, and a conductor pattern 423 to which the negative terminal of the secondary battery 41 and the earth terminal of the USB connector 43 are connected. Pogo pins 461, 462, 463 are electrically connected to the conductor patterns 421, 422, 423 on the circuit board 42, respectively.

[0124] On the coupling side of the holder 44 with the electronic pen main body unit 3, there is formed a terminal portion 441 consisting of a cylindrical portion having a circular end face that faces the circular end face of the cylindrical portion 312a of the terminal portion 312 at the rear end of the electronic pen main body unit 3 when coupled to the electronic pen main body unit 3. This cylindrical terminal portion 441 has three through holes 442 through which the three pogo pins 461, 462, 463 of the connection pin portion 46 pass and from which the heads of the pogo pins 461, 462, 463 protrude. The three through holes 442 are aligned at equal intervals in a straight line parallel to the surface of the circuit board 42 and pass through the center of the circular end face of the cylindrical portion of the terminal portion 441 so as to correspond to the positions of the three contact pins 331, 332, 333 whose heads are exposed from the circular end face of the cylindrical portion 312a of the terminal portion 312 of the electronic pen main body unit 3. In this example, the central pin hole of the three pin holes 442 is formed so as to coincide with the center position of the circular end face of the cylindrical portion of the terminal portion 441 .

[0125] Then, as described above, the circuit board 42 on which the secondary battery 41 and USB connector 43 are mounted and electrically connected is placed and held in the holder 44, and is electrically connected to three pogo pins 461, 462, 463 inserted through three pin holes 442 in the cylindrical portion of the terminal portion 441. In this embodiment, a holder cover 45 is joined to the holder 44 by, for example, adhering it so as to cover the portion of the holder 44 excluding the terminal portion 441. With the holder cover 45 joined to the holder 44, a cylindrical secondary battery module 40 is formed, as shown on the right side of FIG. 9C .

[0126] In this embodiment, a circular thin plate elastic rubber member 47 is attached by, for example, bonding to the circular end surface of the columnar portion of the terminal portion 441 of the holder 44 of the secondary battery module 40. As shown in Fig. 9(D) , the circular thin plate elastic rubber member 47 has an opening 47a in an area including the three pin holes 442 on the circular end surface of the columnar portion of the terminal portion 441 of the holder 44. The heads of the three pogo pins 461, 462, and 463 that penetrate the three through holes 442 are exposed to the outside through the opening 47a of the elastic rubber member 47, as shown on the right side of Fig. 9(C) , and are configured so that the heads of the pogo pins 461, 462, and 463 protrude beyond the end surface of the elastic rubber member 47.

[0127] The secondary battery module 40 configured as above is inserted into the hollow portion of the unit housing 4SK from the rear end side of the unit housing 4SK in a state where the side where the elastic rubber member 47 is attached to the front of the circular end face of the columnar portion of the terminal portion 441 of the holder 44 faces the fitting portion 4SKF, thereby configuring the power supply unit 4S shown in Fig. 9A. In this case, the secondary battery module 40 is stored in the unit housing 4SK so that the positioning groove 4SFKb provided in the recess 4SKFa of the fitting portion 4SKF of the unit housing 4SK is located on a line that corresponds to the position of the positioning protrusion 3Ka of the electronic pen main body unit 3, is perpendicular to the line on which the three through holes 442 are aligned, and passes through the position of the center pin hole of the three pin holes 442.

[0128] 9C , in this embodiment, through-holes 4SKo are provided at predetermined angular positions on the peripheral side surface of the unit housing 4SK, and elastic protrusions 45a that fit into the through-holes 4SKo are formed at predetermined positions on the holder cover 45 of the secondary battery module 40. In this embodiment, the secondary battery module 40 is inserted from the rear end side of the unit housing 4SK, and the elastic protrusions of the secondary battery module 40 fit into the through-holes 4SKo of the unit housing 4SK, whereby the secondary battery module 40 is locked in the hollow portion of the unit housing 4SK, and in this state the position of the positioning grooves 4SKFb is positioned correctly relative to the arrangement direction of the three pogo pins 461, 462, 463 of the secondary battery module 40.

[0129] In this embodiment, the rear end of the secondary battery module 40 is positioned in the axial direction substantially coincident with the rear end of the unit housing 4SK of the power supply unit 4S, or is positioned inside the unit housing 4SK of the power supply unit 4S so as not to protrude beyond the rear end of the unit housing 4SK. The rear end of the unit housing 4SK is open, so that the USB connector 43 of the secondary battery module 40 is exposed through the rear opening of the unit housing 4SK, as shown in FIG. 9B . Therefore, as described above, when the unit connecting part 6S is housed in the electronic pen outer housing 2, removing the cover 22b of the rear housing 22 exposes the USB connector 43 of the secondary battery module 40 to the outside through the rear opening of the rear housing 22. Therefore, by mating the exposed USB connector 43 with a compatible USB connector, the secondary battery 41 of the secondary battery module 40 can be charged externally.

[0130] Next, the electrical connection state between the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S in the unit connection part 6S formed by connecting the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S is shown in Figure 10, and the electronic circuit formed at that time will be explained with reference to Figure 11.

[0131] Figure 10(A) shows the unit connection part 6S, Figure 10(B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the rear end side including the connection part between the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S, and Figure 10(C) is a further enlarged cross-sectional view of the connection part.

[0132] 10(B) and 10(C), when the rear end of the electronic pen main unit 3 is fitted into the fitting portion 4SKF of the power supply unit 4S, the circular end face of the columnar portion 312a of the terminal portion 312 of the electronic pen main unit 3 comes into contact with the circular end face of the columnar portion 441 of the power supply unit 4S via the elastic rubber member 47. In this contact state, the three contact pins 331, 332, and 333 of the terminal portion 312 of the electronic pen main unit 3 are electrically connected to the three pogo pins 461, 462, and 463 of the power supply unit 4S, respectively, as shown in FIGS. In this case, the heads of the three contact pins 331, 332, and 333 of the terminal portion 312 of the electronic pen main body unit 3 are positioned at different axial positions as described above, but the contact portions on the power supply unit 4S side are pogo pins 461, 462, and 463, so they elastically displace in the axial direction and securely contact and electrically connect with the three contact pins 331, 332, and 333.

[0133] Therefore, in the unit connecting part 6S, the electronic pen body unit and the power supply unit 4S are elastically connected in the axial direction.

[0134] 11 , in the power supply unit 4S, the pogo pin 461 is connected to the charging terminal of the USB connector 43, and the pogo pin 463 is connected to the ground terminal of the USB connector 43. The pogo pin 462 is connected to the positive terminal of the secondary battery 41. The negative terminal of the secondary battery is connected to the pogo pin 463.

[0135] In the electronic pen main body unit 3, the contact pin 331 connected to the pogo pin 461 is connected to the input terminal of a charging circuit 361. The output terminal of this charging circuit 361 is connected to the input terminal of a power supply voltage generating circuit 362, and is also connected to the positive terminal of the secondary battery 41 via the contact pin 332 and the pogo pin 462.

[0136] The charging circuit 361 supplies a charging current input from the USB connector 43 via the pogo pin 461 and the contact pin 331 to the secondary battery 41 via the contact pin 332 and the pogo pin 462 , thereby charging the secondary battery 41 .

[0137] The power supply voltage generating circuit 362 receives the voltage of the secondary battery 41 through the pogo pin 462 and the contact pin 332, and generates a power supply voltage +B. The generated power supply voltage +B is supplied to a signal transmitting circuit 363, a signal receiving circuit 364, and a control circuit 365. In this example, a variable capacitance capacitor 9C that constitutes the writing pressure detection unit 9 is connected to the control circuit 365, and the control circuit 365 detects the writing pressure value from the electrostatic capacitance of this variable capacitance capacitor 9C.

[0138] The signal transmission circuit 363 includes an oscillator circuit of a predetermined frequency, generates a signal under the control of the control circuit 365, and transmits the signal to the position detection sensor by electrostatic coupling through the central electrode 51 of the core body 5. The signal transmitted from the signal transmission circuit 363 includes a position detection signal and a writing pressure value information signal. The position detection signal is transmitted as a burst signal of a predetermined frequency, and the writing pressure value information, in this example, is converted into a binary digital signal, and the binary digital signal is transmitted as, for example, an ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) modulated signal or an OOK (On Off Keying) modulated signal.

[0139] The peripheral electrode 7 receives a signal from the position detection sensor by electrostatic coupling and supplies the signal to the control circuit 365. The control circuit 365 controls the output timing of the signal from the signal transmission circuit 363 based on the timing of the signal received from the position detection sensor.

[0140] As described above, in the electronic pen 1 in which the unit connecting part 6S is housed in the electronic pen outer casing 2, the electronic pen main body unit 3 receives voltage from the secondary battery 41 of the power supply unit 4S to generate a power supply voltage, and performs signal interaction with the position detection sensor. As a result, the position detection sensor can detect the position indicated by the electronic pen 1 and the value of the writing pressure applied to the tip of the core body 5.

[0141] In this case, the unit connecting part 6S is prevented from moving in the axial direction between the step 21s on the pen tip side and the cover 22b on the rear end side within the electronic pen outer casing 2 of the electronic pen 1, and the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S are firmly elastically connected together due to the presence of the elastic rubber member 47 and the elasticity of the pogo pins 461, 462, 463. Therefore, the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S are securely connected electrically.

[0142] <Configuration Example of Power Supply Unit 4D> Next, a configuration example of the power supply unit 4D will be described with reference to the above-mentioned Fig. 2(B) and Fig. 12. Fig. 12(A) is a cross-sectional view illustrating the rear end side of the connection portion of the unit connection part 6D that connects the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4D, and Fig. 12(B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the connection portion in Fig. 12(A). Note that for ease of explanation, Fig. 12 does not show the cross section of the primary battery 4DB.

[0143] 2(B) and 12(A), in this example, the power supply unit 4D includes a unit housing 4DK made of conductive metal and having a shape that can be stored in the columnar storage space 2a of the electronic pen outer housing 2. As shown in FIGS. 2(B) and 12(A), the unit housing 4DK of the power supply unit 4D has an opening 4DKa in the middle of the axial direction of the cylindrical body, and a primary battery 4DB is stored through this opening 4DKa in a removably manner.

[0144] 12A, the rear end of the unit housing 4DK is closed, and inside this closed portion is provided a spring contact 4DG made of a conductive material, in this example, a conductive metal, that comes into contact with the negative electrode 4DB(-) of the stored primary battery 4DB. This spring contact 4DG constantly elastically biases the primary battery 4DB stored in the unit housing 4DK toward the coupling side with the electronic pen main body unit 3. In this example, this spring contact 4DG is electrically connected to the conductive unit housing 4DK.

[0145] The positive terminal 4DB(+) of the primary battery 4DB housed in the unit housing 4DK is exposed to the connecting side with the electronic pen main body unit 3, as shown in Figures 12 (A) and (B).

[0146] 2B and 12A and 12B, the fitting portion 4DKF of the unit housing 4DK of the power supply unit 4D on the coupling side with the electronic pen main body unit 3 has fitting pieces 4DKFa and 4DKFb formed by providing axial slits at positions spaced apart by an angle of 180 degrees from each other on the end of the unit housing 4DK on the coupling side with the electronic pen main body unit 3, and the fitting portion 4DKF has a configuration in which the diameter at the middle position in the axial direction is narrowed down compared to the other portions. An elastic material, in this example, a rubber elastic ring 4DR is wound around the narrowed portion.

[0147] 12A and 12B, when the rear end of the electronic pen main body unit 3 is inserted into the fitting portion 4DKF of the unit housing 4DK of the power supply unit 4D, the rear end of the electronic pen main body unit 3 is coupled to the fitting portion 4DKF of the unit housing 4DK in a state where it comes into strong contact with the fitting pieces 4DKFa and 4DKFb of the fitting portion 4DKF of the unit housing 4DK due to the elasticity of the elastic ring 4DR. As a result, the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4D are coupled to form a unit coupling part 6D, as shown in FIG.

[0148] 12A and 12B, in this coupled state, the primary battery 4DB of the power supply unit 4D is constantly elastically biased by the spring contact 4DG toward the coupling side with the electronic pen main unit 3, so that the positive electrode 4DB(+) of the primary battery 4DB is pressed against and connected to the central contact pin 332 that protrudes in the axial direction among the three contact pins 331, 332, 333 of the terminal portion 312 of the electronic pen main unit 3. In other words, when the electronic pen main unit 3 and the power supply unit 4D are coupled, the two contact pins 331, 333 on either side of the terminal portion 312 of the electronic pen main unit 3 are not used as electrical contacts.

[0149] In the unit connection part 6D in which the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4D are connected, as shown in Figures 12 (A) and (B), the negative side 4DB(-) of the primary battery 4DB is made into the earth electrode of the circuit board 32 of the electronic pen main body unit 3 through the spring contact 4DG, the unit housing 4DK, and the conductive unit housing 3K of the electronic pen main body unit 3.

[0150] In this case, in the unit coupling part 6D that couples the power supply unit 4D and the electronic pen main unit 3, it is only necessary for the contact pin 332 at the center of the circular end face of the terminal part 312 to come into contact with the positive electrode 4DB(+) of the primary battery 4DB, and therefore, unlike the coupling of the power supply unit 4S and the electronic pen main unit 3, there is no need to align the contacts to be connected. In this embodiment, also in the unit coupling part 6D, the primary battery 4DB is biased by the spring contact 4DG, so that the electronic pen main unit and the power supply unit 4D are elastically coupled in the axial direction, ensuring a reliable electrical connection.

[0151] The electrical configuration of a unit combining part 6D in which the power supply unit 4D and the electronic pen main body unit 3 are combined in this example is as shown in FIG.

[0152] That is, as shown in Figure 13, in the case of the unit connecting part 6D, the positive side 4DB(+) of the primary battery 4DB is connected to the contact pin 332 of the electronic pen main body unit 3, and the negative side 4DB(-) of the primary battery 4DB is connected to the earth electrode of the electronic pen main body unit 3 through the unit housing 4DK and the unit housing 3K.

[0153] Therefore, in the case of the unit connecting part 6D, the charging circuit 361 in the electronic pen main body unit 3 is made inactive, and the power supply voltage generating circuit 362 generates a power supply voltage +B based on the voltage from the primary battery 4DB and supplies the power supply voltage +B to the signal transmitting circuit 363, the signal receiving circuit 364, and the control circuit 365. In the case of this unit connecting part 6D, the only difference is the source of the power supply voltage, and the electronic pen main body unit 3 performs the functions of the electronic pen main body in the same way as in the case of the unit connecting part 6S described above.

[0154] [Advantages of the Electronic Pen 1 of the Embodiment] As described above, the electronic pen 1 of the embodiment described above is composed of four unit components: the pen tip side housing 21, the rear end side housing 22, the electronic pen main body unit 3, and the power supply unit 4S or 4D, and is configured to be able to be assembled using these four unit components. Therefore, if any of the four unit components is damaged or malfunctions, the electronic pen 1 can be repaired by replacing only the damaged or malfunctioning unit component.

[0155] In the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply unit 4S or 4D are combined to generate a unit connection part 6S or 6D, and the pen tip side housing part 21 and the rear end side housing part 22 are combined so that the generated unit connection part 6S or 6D covers both the pen tip side and the rear end side, thereby achieving the effect of easily constructing the electronic pen 1.

[0156] Furthermore, in the electronic pen 1 of this embodiment, the terminal portion 312 of the electronic pen main body unit 3 is configured so that either the power supply unit 4S, which uses a secondary battery, or the power supply unit 4D, which uses a primary battery, can be used as the power supply unit, so that the user can select and use the power supply unit according to their preference and purpose, which is very convenient.

[0157] Furthermore, in the electronic pen 1 of the above-described embodiment, the core 5 is configured to be supported on the pen tip side of the electronic pen main body unit 3, so the pen tip side opening of the pen tip side housing part 21 of the electronic pen outer housing 2 does not need to be configured to support the core 5. Therefore, the pen tip side housing part 21 does not need to be designed taking into account the diameter of the core 5, and this increases the degree of freedom in design, which in turn increases the degree of freedom in designing the electronic pen outer housing.

[0158] [Modification of the above-described embodiment] In this example, the peripheral electrode 7 is configured to be used only to receive signals by electrostatic coupling through the position detection sensor, but it may also be configured to transmit signals from the signal transmission circuit 363 through this peripheral electrode 7. On the position detection sensor side, the signal transmitted from the peripheral electrode 7 can be used to determine the inclination of the electronic pen 1 with respect to the input surface of the position detection sensor.

[0159] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the rear end side of the electronic pen main body unit 3 is configured to fit into the recess on the pen tip side of the power supply unit, but conversely, it may be configured so that the pen tip side of the power supply unit fits into the recess on the rear end side of the electronic pen main body unit 3.

[0160] Furthermore, the configuration of the electrical connection between the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply units 4S, 4D is not limited to the configuration using multiple contact pins as in the above example, and various other configurations are possible.

[0161] 14 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of the electrical connection between the electronic pen main body unit 3 and the power supply units 4S, 4D. In this example, a connector plug 3P is provided as an example of a first terminal on the rear end side of the electronic pen main body unit 3A, and connector jacks 4SJ and 4DJ, as examples of second terminals, into which the connector plug 3P is fitted, are provided on the power supply units 4SA and 4DA.

[0162] Figures 14(A) to (E) are diagrams for explaining a first configuration example of the connector plug 3P of the electronic pen main body unit 3A and the connector jacks 4SJ and 4DJ of the power supply units 4SA and 4DA, and Figure 14(F) is a diagram for explaining a second configuration example.

[0163] As shown in Figure 14(A), the connector plug 3P of the first configuration example is provided on the end face of the electronic pen main body unit 3A on the coupling side with the power supply unit 4SA or 4DA, and the connector jacks 4SJ and 4DJ of the first configuration example are provided on the end faces of the power supply unit 4SA and power supply unit 4DA on the coupling side with the electronic pen main body unit 3A, as shown in Figures 14(B) and (C). Figures 14(D) and (E) are diagrams for explaining the electrical connection relationship between the connector plug 3P of the first configuration example and the connector jack 4SJ and connector jack 4DJ.

[0164] The connector plug 3P of the electronic pen body unit 3A is electrically connected to an electronic circuit formed on the circuit board 32 of the electronic pen body unit 3A and includes a plurality of mutually insulated terminals, in this example, three terminals 371, 372, and 373. The three terminals 371, 372, and 373 correspond to the contact pins 331, 332, and 333 of the terminal 312 of the electronic pen body unit 3, respectively.

[0165] The three terminals 371, 372, and 373 of the connector plug 3P of the first configuration example provided in the electronic pen main body unit 3A are configured as follows: In this example, the terminal 371 is configured of a conductive metal that forms a central shaft. In this example, the connector plug 3P is configured such that cylindrical terminals 372 and 373, each having an insulating layer formed on its inner wall surface, are concentrically combined with the rod-shaped conductive metal of the terminal 371.

[0166] 14A, the conductive metal terminal 371 constituting the central mandrel is the axial tip, with its annular circumferential surface and tip exposed for a predetermined length in the axial direction, and the cylindrical terminals 372 and 373 each have their annular circumferential surface exposed for a predetermined length in the axial direction. That is, the three terminals 371, 372, and 373 of the connector plug 3P have annular conductor contact portions exposed at different positions in the axial direction. Note that while the terminal 371 has a cylindrical shape, its annular circumferential side surface and tip form the conductor contact portion.

[0167] The connector jack 4SJ of the power supply unit 4SA has a recess into which the connector plug 3P is inserted, as shown in Fig. 14(B), and this recess is provided with three contact terminals 4SJ1, 4SJ2, 4SJ3 that elastically contact the three terminals 371, 372, 373 of the connector plug 3P, as shown in Fig. 14(D). The three contact terminals 4SJ1, 4SJ2, 4SJ3 are made of conductive elastic metal, correspond to the three pogo pins 461, 462, 463 of the power supply unit 4S, respectively, and are connected to an electronic circuit disposed on the circuit board 42 of the power supply unit 4SA.

[0168] 14(C), the connector jack 4DJ of the power supply unit 4DA has a recess into which the connector plug 3P is inserted, and as shown in FIG. 14(E), the recess is provided with two contact terminals 4DJ2 and 4DJ3 that elastically contact two of the three terminals 371, 372, and 373 of the connector plug 3P, excluding the terminal 371, which is the charging terminal. The contact terminals 4DJ2 and 4DJ3 are made of a conductive elastic metal, and the contact terminal 4DJ2 is connected to the positive terminal (+) of the primary battery 4DB housed in the power supply unit 4DA, and the contact terminal 4DJ3 is connected to the negative terminal (-) of the primary battery 4DB. The connector jack 4DJ may have the same configuration as the connector jack 4SJ, but the terminal 371 of the power supply unit 4DA may be configured as a free end that is not electrically connected to either terminal.

[0169] When the connector plug 3P of the electronic pen main body unit 3A is inserted into the connector jack 4SJ of the power supply unit 4SA, the three terminals 371, 372, and 373 of the connector plug 3P are elastically connected to the three contact terminals 4SJ1, 4SJ2, and 4SJ3 provided on the connector jack 4SJ, respectively, as shown in Fig. 14(D). This forms an electronic circuit similar to the electronic circuit shown in Fig. 11, in which a power supply voltage is supplied from the secondary battery 41 of the power supply unit 4SA to the electronic pen main body unit 3A and the secondary battery 41 is rechargeable.

[0170] Furthermore, when the connector plug 3P of the electronic pen main body unit 3A is inserted into the connector jack 4DJ of the power supply unit 4DA, two terminals 372 and 373 of the three terminals 371, 372 and 373 of the connector plug 3P are elastically connected to the two contact terminals 4DJ2 and 4DJ3 provided on the connector jack 4DJ, respectively, as shown in Fig. 14(E). This forms an electronic circuit similar to the electronic circuit shown in Fig. 13, and power supply voltage is supplied to the electronic pen main body unit 3A from the primary battery 4DB of the power supply unit 4DA.

[0171] 14(F), the three terminals 381, 382, ​​and 383 of the connector plug 3P are configured as follows: The connector plug 3P in this example has a configuration similar to that of, for example, an audio pin plug, and in this example, the three terminals 381, 382, ​​and 383 have annular conductor contact portions of the same diameter exposed at different positions in the axial direction.

[0172] That is, of the three terminals 381, 382, ​​and 383, the terminal 381 at the tip is a chip terminal, and the two intermediate terminals 382 and 383 are annular terminals insulated from the other terminals by insulating rings 39a, 39b, and 39c, respectively.

[0173] The configurations of the power supply unit 4SA and the connector jack of the power supply unit 4DA that are connected to the connector plug 3P of the electronic pen main body unit 3A in this second configuration example are well known, so they will not be illustrated, but as in the first example described above, the power supply unit 4SA has three contact terminals that come into contact with each of the circular conductor contact portions of the three terminals 381, 382, ​​383 to form an electrical connection, and the power supply unit 4DA has two contact terminals that come into contact with each of the circular conductor contact portions of two of the terminals 382, ​​383 of the circular conductor contact portions of the three terminals 381, 382, ​​383 to form an electrical connection.

[0174] As described above, in the example shown in Figure 14, the connector plug 3P provided on the electronic pen main body unit 3A can be inserted into and engaged with the connector jack 4SJ or connector jack 4DJ provided on the power supply unit 4SA or power supply unit 4DA, thereby forming the unit connecting parts 6S and 6D in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0175] 14, the annular conductor contact portion of the connector plug 3P is connected to each of the contact terminals of the connector jacks 4SJ and 4DJ, so that even if the electronic pen main body unit 3A rotates about its axial centerline, electrical connection is always maintained, thereby preventing electrical non-contact. In other words, when connecting the electronic pen main body unit 3A to the power supply units 4SA and 4DA, no positioning members are required for aligning the connection between the multiple terminals.

[0176] In the example of Figure 14, a connector plug is provided on the electronic pen main body unit 3A, and a connector jack is provided on the power supply unit 4SA or 4DA side, but the opposite configuration may also be used, where a connector jack is provided on the electronic pen main body unit 3A, and a connector plug is provided on the power supply unit 4SA or 4DA side.

[0177] [Other Embodiments or Modifications] In the above-described embodiments, the charging circuit for the secondary battery 41 of the power supply unit 4S, 4SA is provided in the electronic pen main unit 3, 3A. However, it may be provided in the power supply unit 4S, 4SA. In that case, the power supply unit 4S, 4SA only needs two terminals for electrical connection with the electronic pen main unit 3: the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals of the secondary battery 41, as with the power supply units 4D, 4DA. Therefore, in that case, the heads of the three contact pins 331, 332, 333 of the terminal portion 312 of the electronic pen main unit 3 do not need to be positioned differently in the axial direction.

[0178] The secondary battery 41 of the power supply unit 4S, 4SA can be charged with the unit connecting part 6S stored inside the electronic pen 1, or with the power supply unit 4S, 4SA removed from the electronic pen 1.

[0179] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the power supply unit is configured so that the secondary battery power supply unit 4S, 4SA and the primary battery power supply unit 4D, 4DA can be interchangeable, but the power supply unit may also be configured so that only one of the secondary battery power supply unit and the primary battery power supply unit is connected to the electronic pen main body unit 3.

[0180] Furthermore, in a configuration in which only the power supply unit 4D using the primary battery 4DB is connected to the electronic pen main body unit 3, the contact pin of the terminal portion 312 of the electronic pen main body unit 3 only needs to be a contact pin 332 that connects to the positive terminal of the primary battery and provided at the center of the circular end face, making the terminal configuration extremely simple. Of course, it is also possible to provide connection terminals corresponding to two terminals, the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the primary battery, as in the configuration example of the electronic pen main body unit 3A and the power supply unit 4DA.

[0181] In the above-described embodiment, the electronic pen main body unit of the electronic pen is configured for an active capacitance electronic pen, but it goes without saying that it can also be configured for an electromagnetic induction electronic pen. In the case of an electromagnetic induction electronic pen, the core is fitted to the writing pressure transmission member through a through-hole provided in a magnetic core (e.g., a ferrite core) around which a coil is wound. Even in this case, by configuring the writing pressure transmission member to be divided into a core holding member and a pressing member, the effect of the above-described embodiment, that is, writing pressure can be properly detected even when the electronic pen is tilted, can be obtained.

[0182] Furthermore, in the case of an electronic pen main body unit using the electromagnetic induction method, by providing components similar to the peripheral electrode 7 of the electronic pen main body unit 3 described above, or by configuring the tip of the pen tip side housing unit 21 in the same way as the tip of the peripheral electrode, it is possible to support the middle of the core body, thereby reducing the deviation from the axial direction of the other end of the core body and the pressure transmission member when the electronic pen is tilted, and achieving the same effect as the electronic pen 1 using the electronic pen main body unit 3 described above.

[0183] The pen pressure detection unit is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. For example, a pen pressure detection unit that detects pen pressure by capacitance may be configured with a semiconductor device in which the distance between two electrodes facing each other via a dielectric air layer changes depending on the applied pressure (see, for example, Patent Document: JP 2013-161307 A). Furthermore, instead of detecting pen pressure by capacitance, the pen pressure may be detected by changes in inductance.

[0184] 1...electronic pen, 2...electronic pen outer casing, 3, 3A...electronic pen main body unit, 4S, 4D, 4SA, 4DA...power supply unit, 4DB...primary battery, 5...core body, 6S, 6D...unit connecting parts, 7...peripheral electrode, 8...writing pressure transmission member, 9...writing pressure detection unit, 21...pen tip side casing, 22...rear end side casing, 42...secondary battery, 312, 441...terminal portion, 331, 332, 333...contact pins, 461, 462, 463...pogo pins

Claims

1. An electronic pen body unit having a function of signal interaction with a position detection sensor; a power supply unit that supplies power supply voltage to the electronic pen body unit; and a first housing unit and a second housing unit that are formed by joining an electronic pen outer casing having a columnar storage space therein in the axial direction of the columnar storage space, wherein the electronic pen body unit has a columnar shape that can be stored in the columnar storage space, a core body can be attached to one end side of the columnar shape in the axial direction, and has a first electrical terminal unit on the side opposite to the side where the core body is attached; and the power supply unit has a columnar shape that can be stored in the columnar storage space, and has a second terminal unit at one end side of the columnar shape in the axial direction that is electrically connected to at least a part of the first terminal unit of the electronic pen body unit, An electronic pen characterized in that, within the columnar storage space of the electronic pen outer casing, the electronic pen main body unit and the power supply unit are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the columnar storage space with the power supply unit at the rear end side, and are unable to move in the axial direction of the columnar storage space, and the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion are electrically connected.

2. The electronic pen described in claim 1, characterized in that the first housing portion has a pen tip side opening that allows the tip portion of the core body to protrude to the outside, the second housing portion is detachably connected to the first housing portion on the side opposite the pen tip side opening to form an electronic pen outer housing, and the columnar storage space of the electronic pen outer housing is formed by communication between the internal space of the first housing portion and the internal space of the second housing portion.

3. The electronic pen according to claim 1, wherein the first housing part and the second housing part are joined by being screwed together.

4. The sub-pen described in claim 1, characterized in that the electronic pen main body unit has the first terminal portion on a first end face opposite the side where the core body is attached in the axial direction of the columnar shape, and the power supply unit has the second terminal portion on a second end face on one end side in the axial direction of the columnar shape, and the electronic pen main body unit and the power supply unit are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the columnar storage space of the electronic pen outer casing, with the first end face on which the first terminal portion is arranged facing the second end face on which the second terminal portion is arranged.

5. An electronic pen as described in claim 4, characterized in that at least one of the first terminal portion on the first end surface and the second terminal portion on the second end surface is configured to be elastically displaceable in the axial direction of the columnar storage space.

6. The electronic pen described in claim 4, characterized in that at least one of the first terminal portion on the first end surface and the second terminal portion on the second end surface is configured to have a pogo pin (contact probe) that can be elastically displaced in the axial direction of the columnar storage space.

7. The electronic pen according to claim 1, characterized in that the power supply unit is provided with a rechargeable secondary battery as a power source and is provided with a charging terminal section that can be exposed to the outside through the second housing section.

8. The electronic pen described in claim 7, characterized in that the charging terminal is exposed from the end face on the rear end side of the power supply unit, and a lid part that closes the opening on the rear end side in the axial direction is removably attached to the second housing part.

9. The electronic pen described in claim 1, characterized in that the power supply unit comprises a columnar primary battery as a power source, with one end of the columnar shape in the axial direction being either a positive or negative electrode, and the other end of the columnar shape in the axial direction being either a positive or negative electrode.

10. The electronic pen described in claim 4, characterized in that the power supply unit includes a columnar primary battery as a power source, with one end side in the axial direction of the columnar shape as either a positive or negative electrode and the other end side in the axial direction of the columnar shape as either a positive or negative electrode, the positive electrode of the primary battery being exposed from the second end face to form the second terminal portion, and an elastic member being provided on the negative electrode side of the primary battery so that the positive electrode of the primary battery on the second end face side is elastically displaced toward the first end face side of the electronic pen main body unit.

11. The electronic pen described in claim 1, characterized in that the electronic pen main body unit and the power supply unit are configured to be engaged in a state in which one of the electronic pen main body unit and the power supply unit is inserted into a recess provided in the other in the axial direction of the columnar shape.

12. The electronic pen described in claim 1, characterized in that the electronic pen main body unit and the power supply unit are configured such that one of the electronic pen main body unit and the power supply unit is inserted into a recess provided in the other in the axial direction of the columnar shape, thereby engaging the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion in an electrically connected state.

13. An electronic pen as described in claim 12, characterized in that the first terminal portion has a plurality of contacts, and the second terminal portion has a plurality of contacts that come into contact with and are electrically connected to the plurality of contacts of the first terminal portion, respectively, and a positioning protrusion is formed on one of the recess and the portion inserted into the recess, and a positioning groove into which the protrusion is inserted is formed on the other, so that the plurality of contacts of the first terminal portion and the plurality of contacts of the second terminal portion come into contact with each other.

14. The electronic pen described in claim 12, characterized in that the electronic pen main unit is configured such that a functional part that interacts with signals from a position detection sensor is housed within a cylindrical housing made of conductive metal, and the earth side of the functional part is electrically connected to the cylindrical housing made of conductive metal, and the recess is provided on the power supply unit side, and when the electronic pen main unit is fitted into the recess, a conductor part connected to the earth side of the internal power supply of the power supply unit comes into contact with the outer surface of the cylindrical housing made of conductive metal of the electronic pen main unit.

15. The electronic pen described in claim 1, characterized in that the power supply units include a first power supply unit having a rechargeable secondary battery as a power source and a charging terminal unit that can be exposed to the outside through the second housing unit, and a second power supply unit having a primary battery as a power source, with one end side in the axial direction of the columnar shape as either a positive or negative electrode and the other end side in the axial direction of the columnar shape as either a positive or negative electrode, and the first terminal unit of the electronic pen main body unit, the second terminal unit of the first power supply unit, and the second terminal unit of the second power supply unit are configured so that the electronic pen main body unit can be connected to either the first power supply unit or the second power supply unit.

16. The electronic pen described in claim 15, characterized in that the first terminal portion of the electronic pen main body unit has a plurality of contacts, and among the plurality of contacts, the contact for receiving the power supply voltage of the secondary battery or the primary battery is configured to be a contact used in common by the first power supply unit and the second power supply unit, and the other contacts are configured so that the contact / non-contact relationship differs between the first power supply unit and the second power supply unit.

17. An electronic pen as described in claim 16, characterized in that the contact for receiving the power supply voltage is a contact that is electrically connected to the positive and / or negative pole of the secondary battery or the primary battery, and the other contact is a contact for charging the secondary battery.

18. The electronic pen according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic pen main body unit has an electromagnetic induction function.

19. The electronic pen according to claim 1, wherein the electronic pen main body unit has an active capacitance function.

20. The electronic pen described in claim 1, characterized in that the electronic pen main body unit has an active capacitance function, the core body is configured such that the pen tip side of the central electrode made of a conductor is covered with an insulating material, the electronic pen main body unit has an opening on the side where the core body is attached and has a peripheral electrode arranged to cover the periphery of the attached core body, and further, the tip end of the peripheral electrode on the opening side is configured to support the attached core body so that it can move axially in the insulating part of the core body.

21. The electronic pen described in claim 1, characterized in that the first terminal portion of the electronic pen main body unit is configured as a first connector plug or a first connector jack, and the second terminal portion of the power supply unit is configured as a second connector jack or a second connector plug that mates with the first connector plug or the first connector jack of the first terminal portion of the electronic pen main body unit.