POINTING DEVICE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to output polar coordinate values and to suitably cope with a variety of applications by providing a coordinate converting means which converts the XY coordinate values of a detected input point into polar coordinates and outputs them. SOLUTION: An A/D converter 3 converts the output of a differential amplifier 2 into a digital value. A detection control part 4 converts the output from the A/D converter 3 into an X coordinate value and a Y coordinate value. A coordinate conversion part 5 converts the XY coordinates outputted from the detection control part 4 into polar coordiante values. A coordinate switching part 6 receives both signals of the polar coordinate values outputted from the coordinate conversion part 5 and the XY coordinate values from the detection control part 4 and outputs one of them to an output control part 8 according to an instruction from an output method storage part 7. The output method storage means 7 stores the output method specified from outside and instructs it to the coordinate switching part 6. The output control part 8 controls the coordinate value output to the outside.