Patent ID: 7151526

Claim:
A coordinate input apparatus for designating a particular set of coordinate in three-dimensional space, comprising: a cylindrical magnet having a center axis; an annular magnet having a center axis in common with the center axis of the cylindrical magnet and having an inner circumference larger than an outer circumference of the cylindrical magnet; a plurality of magnetoelectric transducers disposed in a plane transverse to the common center axes of the cylindrical and annular magnets, wherein: the cylindrical magnet and the annular magnet are disposed so that respective, identical magnetic poles thereof are in opposing relationship, and the annular magnet is tiltable with respect to the cylindrical magnet and the plane of the magnetoelectric transducers, and the magnetoelectric transducers detect a change in a magnetic field caused by tiling of the annular magnet relatively to the cylindrical magnet and the plane of the magnetoelectric transducers, so as to input two-dimensional coordinate values according to the detected change in the magnetic field.