JP2005266226A - Electronic paper - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic paper for executing processing of display information in a display part by such a manner that a user can intuitively recognize processing contents without requiring button operation. <P>SOLUTION: In an electronic paper EP, a control part 3 performs prescribed processing of erasing information or its electronic data, or the like of information displayed and held in a display part 1 in response to detecting it by a rotation detection sensor 2 that the electronic paper is set to a turned-over state, detecting it by a position detection sensor 2 that the electronic paper is set to a state of being in a garbage box, detecting it by a contact sensor 2 that the electronic paper is set to a state of being superposed on another electronic paper, or the like. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a flexible and thin electronic paper that displays and holds an information image in a non-powered state on a display unit, and particularly to information that is displayed and held on a display unit in response to a change in state such as the electronic paper posture and location. The present invention relates to electronic paper that performs predetermined processing such as erasing.

Documents are created, edited, viewed, etc. by using electronic data of various media such as images and texts using a computer.
Such an electronic data document browsing method is generally performed by displaying an image of a document on a display screen of a computer or printing the image of a document on a sheet of paper as a printer.

In recent years, electronic paper has been developed as a document browsing medium that can replace paper, which is flexible and thin like paper and can display and hold information images in a non-powered state.
The electronic paper is a device having a display unit that displays and holds an information image in a non-powered state. When the information is roughly classified according to the information image writing format on the display unit, the electronic paper displays the information image by itself based on electronic data. There is a self-writing type electronic paper having a function of writing data on the screen and an optical writing type electronic paper which holds a projected information image on a display unit.

Unlike electronic paper, such electronic paper can erase or overwrite the information image displayed and held on the display unit, and is expected to promote the use from the viewpoint of saving paper resources that can be used repeatedly. It is rare.
Here, in the conventional electronic paper, in order to perform processing such as erasure on the information displayed and held on the display unit, it has hard key and soft key operation buttons that accept operation input from the user, The user has to operate the operation button when processing the display information.
In addition, an invention has been proposed in which a page turning operation is detected for a bundle of a plurality of documents printed on paper and a page to be written by a writing input device is specified (see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-147771

However, in the conventional electronic paper, since the display information is processed in response to the button operation by the user, an operation such as browsing a document with a mobile computer is necessary, and an electronic device that is replacing the paper is required. As a paper, it could not be said that a sufficiently satisfactory operability was realized.
In addition, when performing operations such as erasing or rewriting display information, conventional electronic paper requires button operations according to the processing contents, but the user can operate while intuitively understanding the processing contents. However, it cannot be said that a sufficiently satisfactory operability is realized in this respect.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic paper that executes processing of information displayed on a display unit without requiring a button operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic paper that executes processing of display information by a manner in which a user can intuitively grasp the processing contents.

  The present invention is a flexible thin electronic paper having a display unit that displays and holds an information image in a non-powered state, and changes in the state of the electronic paper (for example, rotational displacement, erasing and copying when the electronic paper is turned or turned over) State detection means for detecting movement displacement to a place where processing such as is determined, a state of being overlaid with other electronic paper), and information displayed and held on the display unit in response to detection of the state change Predetermined processing (for example, deleting display information, deleting electronic data of display information from memory, switching display information by turning pages, changing page numbers in order or displaying contents in page number order) A control unit that performs page alignment such as switching between electronic papers and copying display information to other electronic papers).

  Specifically, in the electronic paper according to the present invention, for example, the rotation detection sensor detects the rotational displacement of the electronic paper, the position detection sensor detects the movement position of the electronic paper, and the overlap sensor detects the movement of the electronic paper. A predetermined process is performed on the information displayed and held on the display unit, for example, by detecting overlapping.

  As an embodiment of the present invention, for example, an image of display information and electronic data are erased by turning the electronic paper upside down, a display image is switched to the next page by rotating the front and back positions of the electronic paper. Display information is copied between electronic papers by rubbing and rubbing other electronic papers, images of display information and electronic data are erased by moving the electronic paper to the trash can, electronic paper into the copy box It is preferable that the user can intuitively understand the relationship between the content of the processing on the information and the manner in which the user changes the state of the electronic paper so that the image of the display information is copied to another electronic paper by moving it. .

  According to the present invention, since the predetermined processing is performed on the information displayed and held on the display unit in response to the detection of the state change of the electronic paper, the display on the display unit is not required. Information processing can be executed. In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize more excellent operability by setting the manner in which the user can change the state and the contents of the processing so that the user can intuitively understand the relevance.

The present invention will be specifically described based on examples.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the functional configuration of electronic paper according to the present invention.
The electronic paper EP includes a display unit 1 that displays and holds an information image in a non-powered state, a sensor 2 that detects a state change applied to the electronic paper, and a display unit in response to detection of the state change by the sensor 2. The basic configuration includes a control unit 3 that performs a predetermined process on information displayed in 1 and a power source 4 that supplies operation power to the sensor 2 and the control unit 3.
Here, when the information image displayed and held on the display unit 1 is rewritten with a plurality of pages, a memory 5 for storing and holding the electronic data of each page is provided. In order to store the electronic data of the display information in the memory 5, the electronic paper EP is provided with a data communication unit, for example, a wireless communication unit is provided to receive the electronic data of the holding information from the outside and store it in the memory 5. The information image is stored and displayed on the display unit 1.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, data communication is performed with an external server S using a communication unit 6 provided in the electronic paper EP, and the server S performs processing for display information. The processing performed by may be reduced.
That is, the data of the information image displayed and held on the display unit 1 of the electronic paper EP is held and managed by the server S in the memory 9, and data communication is performed between the communication unit 7 of the server S and the communication unit 6 of the electronic paper EP. And a system configuration for providing information data for display to the electronic paper EP. Then, when performing predetermined processing such as erasing data or switching display information on the information displayed on the display unit 1 in response to detection of a change in state by the sensor 2, the control unit 3 sends a processing request to the server S via the communication unit 6. In response to a request received from the communication unit 7 by the server S, the processing unit 8 deletes the corresponding data held in the memory 9 and transmits the information data of the next page held in the memory 9 to the electronic paper EP. Do. Although not shown, the electronic paper EP is provided with a memory that holds electronic data of display information.

Next, the electronic paper EP will be described more specifically with reference to FIGS.
The electronic paper EP is roughly classified according to the display information recording method, and has a self-writing type shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and an optical writing type shown in FIGS. As is called electronic paper, it is a thin and flexible device like paper.

FIG. 3A shows the self-writing electronic paper EP viewed from the front, and FIG. 3B shows the self-writing electronic paper EP viewed from the side. The illustrated electronic paper EP includes a display unit 12 that displays and holds an information image and a processing unit 13 that controls processing of electronic data. FIG. 1A shows various functional units built in the processing unit 13. Is also represented.
The self-writing type electronic paper EP is a flexible thin display recording device having a size like, for example, A4 size paper, and the processing unit 13 is provided in one piece of the display unit 12 occupying most of the area. In addition, the magnitude | size of the display part 12 shall be a magnitude | size according to a use. Further, the display unit 12 and the processing unit 13 may be detachable, and for example, the electronic paper EP may be configured by attaching and connecting the clip-type processing unit 13 to the display unit 12.

  As will be described later, the processing unit 13 includes a driver 14 that drives the display unit 12, a wireless unit 15 for wireless communication with the outside, a memory 16 that holds electronic data in a readable and writable manner, and a change in state of the electronic paper EP. A battery 18 is provided for supplying operating power to functional means such as a control unit (CPU) 17 and a control unit 17 that perform predetermined processing on display information accordingly. The sensor 19 that detects a change in the state of the electronic paper EP is provided in the processing unit 13 or the display unit 12 according to the type of the state to be detected. For example, when detecting a state in which the electronic paper EP is bent, a sensor 19 for detecting bending is provided in the display unit 12, and when detecting a state in which a plurality of electronic papers EP are overlapped, the overlap detection sensor 19 is provided. Is provided in the processing unit 13 or the display unit 12.

Such a self-writing type electronic paper EP transmits / receives electronic data of display information by wirelessly communicating with an external wireless device (not shown) by the wireless unit 15, and holds a plurality of pages of electronic data in the memory 16. be able to.
Then, the self-writing type electronic paper EP drives the driver 14 under the control of the control unit 17 to rewrite and display the information image displayed and held on the display unit 12 based on the electronic data held in the memory 16. In addition, even if the drive power of the driver 14 is removed, the display unit 12 has a function of continuously holding the information image in the display state.

  The self-writing type electronic paper EP is a fine colored particle (white particles 21 and black particles 22 in the illustrated example) used as toner in a copying machine, as shown in FIG. Is sealed between a pair of front and back electrodes 23 whose surface side is transparent, and is sandwiched between a pair of front and back film substrates 24 whose surface side is transparent. An air layer is formed between the electrode layers 23 so that the colored particles 21 and 22 can freely move, and an insulating layer 25 that prevents contact with the colored particles 21 and 22 is provided on the matrix-like electrode layer 23. It has been. Note that a color display can be realized with a simple structure by using a color filter.

In the self-writing type electronic paper EP, the voltage is not applied to the electrode 23 as shown in FIG. 4 showing the operation principle of the display unit 12 (however, the electrode 23 is charged to the polarity at the previous driving). The negatively charged white particles 21 accumulate on the back side, while the positively charged black particles 22 accumulate on the front side. When the display unit 12 is viewed from the front side, the display unit 12 is observed. Becomes a black state. And if the electrode polarity of the required part of the matrix according to the information image displayed by the operation of the driver 14 based on the electronic data is reversed, the positional relationship between the white particles 21 and the black particles 22 is switched, and the display unit 12 The image information based on the contrast between the white particles 21 and the black particles 22 is displayed. By operating the driver 14 based on different electronic data, the image information displayed on the display unit 12 can be switched depending on the contrast between the white particles 21 and the black particles 22 and can be reused many times. .
Accordingly, the self-writing type electronic paper EP has the property of holding the image information displayed on the display unit 12 without power in addition to the property of being thin and flexible like paper, so that it can be used as if it were paper. It is a medium.

  According to the present invention, the information image displayed and held on the display unit 12 is erased from the display unit 12, the information image electronic data is erased from the memory 16, in response to detecting the change in the state of the electronic paper EP. Since it performs processing such as switching of information images displayed and held on the display unit 12, page alignment and copying of information images displayed and held on the display unit 12, self-writing type electronic paper having a self-processing function of electronic data For example, when erasing the information image from the display unit 12 is performed, it is also possible to use the optical writing type electronic paper EP as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. it can.

FIG. 6 shows an optical writing type electronic paper EP. The illustrated electronic paper EP includes a display unit 32 for displaying and holding an information image, and an electrode 33 for applying a writing voltage to the display unit 32. Yes.
The optical writable electronic paper EP is flexible and thin, for example, as large as A4 size paper, and displays and holds an information image in a non-powered state on the display unit 32 that occupies most of the area. The size of the display unit 32 is arbitrary.

The optical writable electronic paper EP displays, for example, information as an image on the liquid crystal panel 38 as shown in the figure, and the optical writable electronic paper EP is applied to the liquid crystal panel 38 while applying a voltage to the electrode 33 from an external power source. By overlapping and irradiating light, the information image displayed on the liquid crystal panel 38 can be transferred to the display unit 32 and stored.
Note that a document content image of a document may be transferred to the display unit 32 and stored by irradiating light on the optically writable electronic paper EP while applying a voltage to the electrode 33. In short, the optical writing type electronic paper EP transfers the projected image information to the display unit 32 by applying a voltage to the electrode 33, and displays the image information even after the voltage applied to the electrode 33 is removed. It has a function to keep it in a state.

  The optical writable electronic paper EP includes an organic photoconductive material layer (organic photoconductive layer) 40 and a liquid crystal display material layer used in a copying machine, as shown in FIG. (Microencapsulated cholesteric liquid crystal layer) 41 is combined, these layers are sandwiched between a pair of front and back transparent electrodes 42, and this laminate is sandwiched between a pair of front and back transparent substrate films 43. In this configuration, the white display in which the cholesteric liquid crystal layer 41 reflects light and the light that is transmitted through the liquid crystal layer 41 and absorbed by the black layer 44 provided between the cholesteric liquid crystal layer 41 and the organic photoconductive layer 40 are absorbed. Black display monochrome image display is possible. Furthermore, since the cholesteric liquid crystal has a characteristic of interference-reflecting color light according to the helical pitch, color display can be realized with a simple structure by forming the cholesteric liquid crystal layer 41 by laminating liquid crystals with different helical pitches. It is also possible.

The optical writing type electronic paper EP displays an image to be transferred to, for example, a dimming element panel (light emitting panel) 38 for image writing and displays the display unit 32 as shown in FIG. When the voltage is applied to the electrode 33, the intensity of light is instantaneously converted to the reflection density and the projection image is held. The image information held in the display section 32 can be erased by applying an erasing voltage to the electrode 33, and the optical writable electronic paper EP can be reused many times by repeating writing and erasing. Note that the optical writing type electronic paper EP does not perform such an erasing process, but applies the voltage to the electrode 33 as described above to project a new image, whereby image information held in the display unit 32 is stored. Can be overwritten and can be reused again and again by such overwriting.
Therefore, the optical writing type electronic paper EP has the property of holding the image information transferred by projecting the image without power in addition to the property of being thin and flexible like paper, so that it is used for a printer or a copying machine. It is a recording medium that can be used like paper and can be reused repeatedly.

  Regardless of the optical writing type or the self-writing type, the wireless communication function such as a wireless unit, a memory, a battery, etc. and the memory function unit are configured as a wireless IC tag separate from the display unit of the electronic paper, and the wireless The IC tag may be attached to electronic paper so that the same structure as described above may be used. In the case of a wireless IC tag, the battery may be a capacitor that holds an electromotive force from the tag reader.

In addition, the present invention can be applied to electronic papers other than formats such as self-writing type electronic paper and optical writing type electronic paper. For example, the electronic paper can be loaded into an external rewriting device and the display unit can be self-writing type. A format in which content images are electronically written may be used. That is, the self-writing electronic paper is an example of an electronic paper that does not require an external image writing device, and the optical writing electronic paper is an example of an electronic paper that requires an external image writing device. .
In addition, as a display unit of electronic paper, a liquid crystal having a memory property typified by a ferroelectric liquid crystal, an electrophoretic method in which charged particles are moved to switch a display, and a display is switched by rotating charged particles. A particle rotation method, a magnetophoresis method in which particles are moved by magnetism and a display is switched, or a thin battery-driven thin liquid crystal or EL element may be used.

Next, FIG. 9 to FIG. 14 show specific examples of the state change detection method for the electronic paper EP according to the present invention, and the state change detection and processing corresponding thereto will be specifically described.
The self-writing type electronic paper EP shown in FIG. 9 is provided with an inclination detection sensor 19 for detecting the rotational displacement of the electronic paper EP.
According to the electronic paper EP, for example, the electronic paper EP is rotated and displaced in a plane as shown in FIG. 11A, and the electronic paper EP is turned upside down and turned upside down as shown in FIG. 11B. Such a change in state is detected by the stress sensor 19, and the control unit 17 performs the predetermined processing as described above on the information displayed and held on the display unit 12.

  As an inclination detection sensor, for example, an acceleration sensor (product name: ACH-04-08-05 or ACH-04-08-09) manufactured by Tokyo Sensor Co., Ltd. (http: //www.t-sensor) .co.jp / PIEZO / ACH02 / index.html) and acceleration sensors (product names: MC201 and MC301) manufactured by Wako Co., Ltd. can be used. What is necessary is just to detect.

Therefore, by setting the control unit 17 so that the process is executed when any rotational displacement is applied, the user can displace the electronic paper EP without performing a button operation as in the related art. Processing such as erasure of display information and page turning (that is, switching of information images), erasure of electronic data of information images held in the memory 16, and the like can be executed.
In addition, since the manner of turning over the electronic paper EP is a manner of imagining a gesture for selecting unnecessary documents, such a state change is detected and the information image displayed and held on the display unit 12 is erased, or If the electronic data held in the memory 16 is erased, the user can intuitively recognize the erasure process and change the state. Further, since the manner of rotating the electronic paper EP one side and the other is the manner of simulating the gesture of seeing the next document page, the information image displayed and held on the display unit 12 is detected by detecting such a state change. By rewriting the information on the next page, the user can intuitively recognize the page turning process and change the state.

The self-writing type electronic paper EP shown in FIG. 10 is provided with a touch sensor or a contact sensor as a pressure sensor 19 on the periphery in order to detect that a plurality of electronic papers EP are stacked.
According to this electronic paper EP, for example, as described above with respect to the information displayed and held on the display unit 12 by the control unit 17 based on a state in which a plurality of electronic paper EPs are stacked as shown in FIGS. A predetermined process is performed.
In addition, as a touch sensor or a contact sensor, for example, a tape switch (http://www.t-sensor.co.jp/TAPE/TOP/index.html) manufactured by Tokyo Sensor Co., Ltd. can be used. The superposition may be detected by a photosensitive sensor.

Here, it is detected that a further manner is given to the plurality of stacked electronic papers EP, and the control unit 17 performs the predetermined processing as described above on the information displayed and held on the display unit 12. You may make it perform.
For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the manner in which the front and back of the stacked electronic paper EP are switched is a manner in which the gesture of viewing the previous or next document page is imaged. Therefore, the display unit 12 detects such a state change. By rewriting the information image displayed and held by the information of the previous page or the next page, the user can intuitively recognize the page turning process and change the state. Such detection can be performed by communicating between the electronic papers EP by the wireless unit 15 so that the control unit 17 recognizes each other and grasps the mutual positional relationship.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 13A, when a plurality of electronic papers EP are bundled and bent, a strain detection sensor provided on the electronic paper EP detects the bending, and the control unit 17 responds accordingly to the display unit. 12 is processed, for example, the information displayed and held on each electronic paper EP and its data are deleted, and the information images displayed and held on each electronic paper EP are arranged in the page order according to the overlapping order. Page alignment processing such as adding page numbers according to the overlapping order to information images displayed and held on each electronic paper EP, or performing data communication by the wireless unit 15 between each electronic paper EP, and so on. The information image displayed and held on the specific electronic paper EP is copied to another electronic paper EP and displayed and held.

The processing based on the detection of the user manner for such a bundle of electronic papers EP is performed by bundling a plurality of electronic papers EP as shown in FIG. 13B. The electronic paper EP can be bundled and aligned, or a plurality of electronic paper EPs as shown in FIG. 13 (d) can be rubbed together. By setting the control unit 17 so that the processing is executed when such a manner is applied to the electronic paper EP, the user can intuitively understand the processing contents without performing a button operation as in the past. Thus, it is possible to execute predetermined processing on the display information and its electronic data.
Examples of bending sensors include Internet literature (http://www.t.soka.ac.jp/~watanabe/japanese/group/fiber200104.html) and Internet literature (http: //www.chi.mag). The sensor introduced in .keio.ac.jp / ~ stegoma / 2000Autumn / powerglove.html) can be used, and examples of strain gauges include the Internet literature (http://www.geocities.jp/horie_ryu). /page08.html) can be used.

The self-writing type electronic paper EP shown in FIG. 14 is provided with a position detection sensor 19 for detecting the positional displacement of the electronic paper EP.
According to the electronic paper EP, the sensor 19 detects that the electronic paper EP is placed at a predetermined position, and the control unit 17 performs the predetermined process as described above on the information displayed and held on the display unit 12. For example, when it is detected that the electronic paper EP is put in the trash bin B, the control unit 17 erases the display information and its data.
As the position detection sensor, for example, a code transmitter for identifying the trash box is provided in the trash box B, and the position detection sensor 19 provided in the electronic paper EP receives the code and notifies the control unit 17 of the code. The control unit 17 performs an erasing process if it is in the trash box, and performs a process of outputting the display information to the outside and copying it to other electronic paper or the like if it is a copying box. .

Therefore, by setting the control unit 17 so that the process is executed when any position displacement is applied, the user can displace the electronic paper EP without performing the button operation as in the conventional case. Then, processing such as erasing the display information can be executed. In particular, the manner in which the electronic paper EP is put into the trash bin B is a gesture that exactly discards a waste document. Therefore, such a positional displacement is detected and an information image displayed and held on the display unit 12 is erased, or If the electronic data held in the memory 16 is erased, the user can intuitively recognize the erasure process and change the state.
The self-writing type electronic paper has been described as an example, but the optical writing type electronic paper also detects the state change applied to the electronic paper and performs the above-described processing (for example, that it has been put in a trash can). Erasing process by detection) can be executed.

1 is a configuration explanatory diagram of an electronic paper according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a structure explanatory drawing of the electronic paper which concerns on the other Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows self-writing type electronic paper. It is a figure explaining the principle of operation of self-writing change-type electronic paper. It is a figure explaining the structure of self-writing type electronic paper. It is a figure explaining the usage method of optical writable electronic paper. It is a figure explaining the principle of operation of optical writing type electronic paper. It is a figure explaining the structure of optical writing type electronic paper. It is a figure explaining the example of arrangement | positioning of the sensor which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the example of arrangement | positioning of the sensor which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the example of the state change which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the example of the state change which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the example of the state change which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the example of the state change which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Display unit, 2: Sensor,
3: Control unit, 5: Memory,
6: Communication unit 12: Display unit
14: Driver, 15: Radio section,
16: Memory, 17: Control unit (CPU),
19: sensor 32: display unit
EP: Electronic paper

Claims (7)

A flexible thin electronic paper having a display unit for displaying and holding an information image in a non-powered state,
State detecting means for detecting a change in state of the electronic paper;
An electronic paper comprising: a control unit that performs predetermined processing on information displayed and held on the display unit in response to detection of the state change. The electronic paper according to claim 1,
The state change is a rotational displacement of the electronic paper,
The electronic paper, wherein the detection means is a rotation detection sensor. The electronic paper according to claim 1,
The state change is movement of the electronic paper to a predetermined location,
The electronic paper is characterized in that the detection means is a position detection sensor. The electronic paper according to claim 1,
The state change is a superposition of a plurality of the electronic papers,
The electronic paper, wherein the detection means is an overlap detection sensor. The electronic paper according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The electronic paper is characterized in that the control unit erases the information image displayed and held on the display unit in response to detecting the state change. The electronic paper according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The electronic paper is characterized in that the control unit switches an information image to be displayed and held on the display unit in response to detecting the state change. The electronic paper according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The electronic paper is characterized in that the control unit erases the electronic data of the information image displayed and held on the display unit from the storage means in response to detecting the state change.

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