# US 2020/0401245 A1 · Three-dimensional position indicator and three-dimensional position detection system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0401245 A1 - Document ID: US20200401245A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/010,652 - Filed: 2020-09-02 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2018-03-23 - Assignees: Wacom Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Wacom Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Hiroshi Munakata; Hiroshi Tamano; Yuanhao Chen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200401245A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/03545: {Pens or stylus} - G06F 3/0346: with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors - G06F 3/0383: {Signal control means within the pointing device} - G06F 3/044: by capacitive means - G06F 3/046: by electromagnetic means - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A position indicator indicates a position on an input surface of a position detecting sensor and indicates a position in a three-dimensional space. The position indicator incudes: a casing, a position indicating part that is disposed at one end of the casing, and a tracker which, in operation, causes an external device to detect the position in the three-dimensional space. The position indicating part, in operation, indicates the position on the input surface of the position detecting sensor. A position of the tracker and a position of the position indicating part are in a specific positional relation. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A position indicator that indicates a position on an input surface of a position detecting sensor and indicates a position in a three-dimensional space, the position indicator comprising: a casing; a position indicating part that is disposed at one end of the casing, wherein the position indicating part, in operation, indicates the position on the input surface of the position detecting sensor; and a tracker which, in operation, causes an external device to detect the position in the three-dimensional space, wherein a position of the tracker and a position of the position indicating part are in a specific positional relation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The position indicator according to claim 1, wherein: the tracker which, in operation, optically interacts with the external device and includes a sensor which, in operation, receives light from the external device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The position indicator according to claim 1, wherein: the casing is a casing of an electronic pen, and the position indicating part is disposed at one end of the electronic pen, and the position indicator further includes a holder to which the electronic pen is mounted such that the position of the tracker and the position of the position indicating part have the specific positional relation. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The position indicator according to claim 3, wherein: the holder includes an operation part operable by a user, and the position indicator further includes a communication circuit which, in operation, communicates with the external device in response to operation of the operation part. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The position indicator according to claim 3, wherein: the tracker is disposed at a position at which the tracker is not hidden by a hand of a user when the user grips the holder. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The position indicator according to claim 2, wherein: the electronic pen further includes an operation part operable by a user in a state in which the electronic pen is mounted to the holder. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The position indicator according to claim 3, further comprising: a communication part circuit which, in operation, communicates with the external device in response to the electronic pen being mounted to the holder. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The position indicator according to claim 3, further comprising: a locking part that locks the electronic pen to the holder. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The position indicator according to claim 3, wherein: the electronic pen indicates the position on the input surface of the position detecting sensor by being coupled to the position detecting sensor by an electromagnetic induction system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The position indicator according to claim 3, wherein: the electronic pen indicates the position on the input surface of the position detecting sensor by being coupled to the position detecting sensor by a capacitive coupling system. ### Claim 11 A position detection system comprising: a position indicator; a position detecting sensor; and a spatial position detecting device, wherein the position indicator includes: a casing, a position indicating part that is disposed at one end of the casing, wherein the position indicating part, in operation, indicates a position on an input surface of the position detecting sensor, a tracker which, in operation, causes the spatial position detecting device to detect a position in the three-dimensional space, a position of the tracker and a position of the position indicating part being in a specific positional relation, and a communication circuit which, in operation, communicates with the position detecting sensor and causes the position detecting sensor to detect the position on the input surface of the position detecting sensor indicated by the position indicating part, and wherein the spatial position detecting device includes a circuit which, in operation, calculates a position of the position indicating part in the three-dimensional space, based on the position in the three-dimensional space detected by interaction of the spatial position detecting device with the tracker and the specific positional relation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The position detection system according to claim 11, wherein: the spatial position detecting device further includes a memory that stores a correction value that is used to calculate the position of the position indicating part in the three-dimensional space. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The position detection system according to claim 11, wherein: the spatial position detecting device further includes a circuit which, in operation, selects either the position that is detected by the position detecting sensor and indicated by the position indicating part or the position in the three-dimensional space that is detected by the spatial position detecting device and indicated by the position indicator. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The position detection system according to claim 13, further comprising: a display which, in operation, displays a locus of the selected position indicated by the position indicator, wherein an image including the locus of the indicated position displayed on the display is a VR (Virtual Reality) image. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The position detection system according to claim 11, wherein: the spatial position detecting device further includes a circuit which, in operation, performs coordinate transformation that causes a first one of a coordinate system of the three-dimensional space and a coordinate system of the input surface of the position detecting sensor to correspond with a second one of the coordinate system of the three-dimensional space and the coordinate system of the input surface of the position detecting sensor. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The position detection system according to claim 11, wherein: the casing is a casing of an electronic pen, and the position indicating part is disposed at one end of the electronic pen, the position indicator further includes: a holder to which the electronic pen is mounted such that the position of the tracker and the position of the position indicating part of the electronic pen have the specific positional relation, and a communication circuit which, in operation communicates with the external device in response to the electronic pen being mounted to the holder, and the spatial position detecting device includes a circuit which, in operation calculates the position of the position indicating part in the three-dimensional space, based on the position in the three-dimensional space detected by the interaction of the spatial position detecting device with the tracker and the specific positional relation, when a notification that the electronic pen is mounted in the holder is received from the communication circuit of the position indicator. ### Claim 17 A position detection system comprising: a spatial position detecting device; and a position indicator having a tracker which, in operation, interacts with the spatial position detecting device and causes the spatial position detecting device to detect a position in a three-dimensional space, wherein the spatial position detecting device includes a circuit which, in operation, detects a position in a specific positional relation with the position in the three-dimensional space detected by interaction of the spatial position detecting device with the tracker, as a position indicated by the position indicator in the three-dimensional space. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The position detection system according to claim 17, wherein: the spatial position detecting device further includes a memory that stores a correction value that is used to calculate the position indicated by the position indicator in the three-dimensional space. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The position detection system according to claim 17, wherein: a display which, in operation, displays a virtual image of the position indicator having a tip at the position in the three-dimensional space detected by the spatial position detecting device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The position detection system according to claim 17, wherein: the position indicator further includes: a holder to which the electronic pen is mounted such that a position of the tracker and a position of a position indicating part of the electronic pen have the specific positional relation, an operation part operable by a user, and a communication circuit which, in operation, communicates with the external device in response to operation of the operation part, and the spatial position detecting device further includes a circuit which, in operation, decides whether to regard the position in the specific positional relation with the position in the three-dimensional space, as the position indicated by the position indicator in the three-dimensional space, based on communication with the communication circuit of the position indicator.