Coordinate input and detection device and information display and input apparatus

An information display and input apparatus comprising:

• an information display unit including a display for displaying a variety of information;
• and
• a coordinate input and detection device, the device comprising:
• a touch panel including a surface, the touch panel serving as the display of said information display unit;
• a plurality of light emitting units projecting light beams traveling parallel to the surface of said touch panel over a predetermined region of said touch panel, each of the light beams being a parallel beam having a uniform thickness in a direction perpendicular to the surface of said touch panel and having a sector shape in a direction parallel to the surface of said touch panel;
• a reflective member provided on a peripheral portion of said touch panel to reflect the light beams toward first optical paths through which the light beams travel to reach said reflective member;
• a plurality of intensity distribution detection units receiving the respective light beams reflected by said reflective member to detect intensity distributions of the light beams;
• a coordinate detection unit detecting a coordinate value of a position where the light beams are interrupted based on the intensity distributions;
• and
• a plurality of filters disposed in respective second optical paths in directions perpendicular to directions in which the respective lights beams travel, the second optical paths being optical paths through which the respective light beams reflected by said reflective member travel to reach said respective intensity distribution detection units, said filters having transmission rates varying with respect to positions within said filters.

An information display and input apparatus comprising:

• an information display unit including a display for displaying a variety of information;
• and
• a coordinate input and detection device, the device comprising:
• a touch panel including a surface, the touch panel being made of a transparent material and placed on the display of said information display unit;
• a plurality of light emitting units projecting light beams traveling parallel to the surface of said touch panel over a predetermined region of said touch panel, each of the light beams being a parallel beam having a uniform thickness in a direction perpendicular to the surface of said touch panel and having a sector shape in a direction parallel to the surface of said touch panel;
• a reflective member provided on a peripheral portion of said touch panel to reflect the light beams toward first optical paths through which the light beams travel to reach said reflective member;
• a plurality of intensity distribution detection units receiving the respective light beams reflected by said reflective member to detect intensity distributions of the light beams;
• a coordinate detection unit detecting a coordinate value of a position where the light beams are interrupted based on the intensity distributions;
• and
• a plurality of filters disposed in respective second optical paths in directions perpendicular to directions in which the respective lights beams travel, the second optical paths being optical paths through which the respective light beams reflected by said reflective member travel to reach said respective intensity distribution detection units, said filters having transmission rates varying with respect to positions within said filters.