Method for controlling pointing device, pointing device and computer-readable storage medium

• US 20090278808A1
• Filed: 01/30/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Akiyama, Katsuhiko
• Application Number:
  US12/320,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20090278808A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An input mode is controlled in such a manner that a one-point input mode is set as an initial state, the one-point input mode is changed to a two-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned on and the two-point input mode is changed back to the one-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned off. A coordinate position of an indicated point is determined on the basis of an absolute position of the first input point in the one-point input mode and on the basis of a relative positional relationship between the first input point and the second input point in the two-point input mode.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a pointing device of a multi-touch type capable of sensing on/off states of a first input point and a second input point independently of each other, comprising:

performing input mode control in such a manner that a one-point input mode is set as an initial state, the one-point input mode is changed to a two-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned on and the two-point input mode is changed back to the one-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned off; and

determining a coordinate position of an indicated point on the basis of an absolute position of the first input point in the one-point input mode and on the basis of a relative positional relationship between the first input point and the second input point in the two-point input mode.

2. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 1,

wherein the coordinate position of the indicated point is determined on the basis of an amount of change per unit time of a relative coordinate position between the first input point and the second input point in the two-point input mode.

3. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 2,

wherein the coordinate position of the indicated point is determined in accordance with a linear function of the amount of change.

4. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 2,

wherein the coordinate position of the indicated point is determined in accordance with a quadratic function of the amount of change.

5. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 1,

wherein a value resulting from multiplication of a positional difference between the first input point and the second input point by a predetermined multiplying factor is obtained as a coordinate value and a position corresponding to the coordinate value in regard to a coordinate origin precedently set is determined as the coordinate position of the indicated point in the two-point input mode.

6. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 5,

wherein the first input point is set as the coordinate origin.

7. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 6,

wherein the predetermined multiplying factor is smaller than −

1.

8. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 5,

wherein a corner of the pointing device is set as the coordinate origin.

9. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 5,

wherein a center of the pointing device is set as the coordinate origin.

10. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 1,

wherein it is regarded and processed as a click input when the first input point is turned off and turned on again with the second input point kept in an on state in the two-point input mode.

11. A method for controlling a pointing device of a multi-touch type capable of sensing on/off states of a plurality of input points independently of one another, comprising:

grouping the plurality of input points by setting an input point turned on first as a first input point of a first group, setting an input point turned on next within a predetermined range from the first input point of the first group as a second input point of the first group, setting an input point turned on next out of the predetermined range from the first input point of the first group as a first input point of a second group, setting an input point turned on next within the predetermined range from the first input point of the second group as a second input point of the second group and repeating the settings if necessary;

performing, in each group, input mode control in such a manner that a one-point input mode is set as an initial state, the one-point input mode is changed to a two-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned on and the two-point input mode is changed back to the one-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned off; and

determining, in each group, a coordinate position of an indicated point on the basis of an absolute position of the first input point in the one-point input mode and on the basis of a relative positional relationship between the first input point and the second input point in the two-point input mode.

12. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 11,

wherein a cursor corresponding to the coordinate position of the indicated point determined in each group is displayed to be distinguishable from a cursor of another group.

13. The method for controlling a pointing device according to claim 12,

wherein a cursor of each group includes a pattern corresponding to correlation with the first input point of the corresponding group.

14. A pointing device of a multi-touch type capable of sensing on/off states of a first input point and a second input point independently of each other, comprising:

an input mode control portion that sets a one-point input mode as an initial state, changes the one-point input mode to a two-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned on and changes the two-point input mode back to the one-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned off;

a one-point mode process portion that determines a coordinate position of an indicated point on the basis of an absolute position of the first input point in the one-point input mode; and

a two-point mode process portion that determines the coordinate position of the indicated point on the basis of a relative positional relationship between the first input point and the second input point in the two-point input mode.

15. The pointing device according to claim 14,

wherein the two-point mode process portion determines the coordinate position of the indicated point on the basis of an amount of change per unit time of a relative coordinate position between the first input point and the second input point.

16. The pointing device according to claim 14,

wherein the two-point mode process portion obtains, as a coordinate value, a value-resulting from multiplication of a positional difference between the first input point and the second input point by a predetermined multiplying factor and determines, as the coordinate position of the indicated point, a position corresponding to the coordinate value in regard to a coordinate origin precedently set.

17. The pointing device according to claim 14, further comprising a click input process portion that performs a process by regarding and processing it as a click input when the first input point is turned off and turned on again with the second input point kept in an on state in the two-point input mode.

18. A pointing device of a multi-touch type capable of sensing on/off states of a plurality of input points independently of one another, comprising:

a group process portion that groups the plurality of input points by setting an input point turned on first as a first input point of a first group, setting an input point turned on next within a predetermined range from the first input point of the first group as a second input point of the first group, setting an input point turned on next out of the predetermined range from the first input point of the first group as a first input point of a second group, setting an input point turned on next within the predetermined range from the first input point of the second group as a second input point of the second group and repeating the settings if necessary;

an input mode control portion, provided with respect to each group obtained by the group process portion, that sets a one-point input mode as an initial state, changes the one-point input mode to a two-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned on and changes the two-point input mode back to the one-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned off;

a one-point mode process portion, provided with respect to each group obtained by the group process portion, that determines a coordinate position of an indicated point on the basis of an absolute position of the first input point in the one-point input mode; and

a two-point mode process portion, provided with respect to each group obtained by the group process portion, that determines the coordinate position of the indicated point on the basis of a relative positional relationship between the first input point and the second input point in the two-point input mode.

19. The pointing device according to claim 18, further comprising a cursor display portion that displays a cursor corresponding to the coordinate position of the indicated point determined in each group to be distinguishable from a cursor of another group.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for a pointing device of a multi-touch type capable of sensing on/off states of a first input point and a second input point independently of each other, the program allowing a computer to execute:

an input mode control process setting a one-point input mode as an initial state, changing the one-point input mode to a two-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned on and changing the two-point input mode back to the one-point input mode when both the first input point and the second input point are turned off;

a process determining a coordinate position of an indicated point on the basis of an absolute position of the first input point in the one-point input mode; and

a process determining the coordinate position of the indicated point on the basis of a relative positional relationship between the first input point and the second input point in the two-point input mode.