Touch panel input device

• US 20070057926A1
• Filed: 09/12/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Mizuno, Tomoaki, Ohzawa, Yoshiki
• Application Number:
  US11/519,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20070057926A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

In a screen on a touch panel of a navigation device, an operation key is displayed in a standard size until a press operation is detected. When a press operation is detected and a press area is determined to be larger than a standard area corresponding to the standard size of the operation key, the size of the operation key is changed to be larger than the standard size.

Claims

1. A touch panel input device, comprising:

a touch panel disposed frontward of a screen;

display control means for displaying in the screen an operation key for performing an input to a device;

press detecting means for detecting in the touch panel a press position and, furthermore, a press area;

device control means for controlling an operation of the device based on the detected press position; and

key size change means for changing a size of the operation key displayed in the screen based on the detected press area.

2. The touch panel input device of claim 1, wherein

the display control means displays the operation key in a standard size until the press detecting means detects a press position, and

the key size change means changes the size of the operation key to become larger than the standard size when the detected press area is larger than a standard area corresponding to the standard size of the operation key.

3. The touch panel input device of claim 1, further comprising:

division count change means for changing a division count used for dividing an area of the touch panel, based on the size of the operation key.

4. The touch panel input device of claim 3, wherein

the division count change means decreases the division count as the size of the operation key becomes larger.

5. The touch panel input device of claim 1, wherein

the display control means displays an operation key for performing an input to a navigation device, and

the device control means controls an operation of the navigation device.

6. A method used in a touch panel input device having a touch panel frontward of a screen, comprising:

displaying an operation key in the screen for performing an input to a device;

detecting in the touch panel a press position and, furthermore, a press area;

controlling an operation of the device based on the detected press position; and

changing a size of the operation key displayed in the screen based on the detected press area.

7. A touch panel input device, comprising:

a touch panel disposed frontward of a screen;

a press detecting unit that detects in the touch panel a press position and, furthermore, a press area;

a display control unit that displays in the screen an operation key for performing an input to a device;

a device control unit that controls an operation of the device based on the detected press position; and

a key size change unit that changes a size of the operation key displayed in the screen based on the detected press area.