INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM

• US 20100225601A1
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nashida, Tatsushi, HOMMA, Fuminori
• Granted Patent: US 8,866,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• 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 information processing apparatus includes: touch operation sections provided to be spaced from each other by a specified distance and detect a position touched by an operating part; a drag detection section to detect a drag moved in a state where the operating part touches the touch operation sections; a vibration detection section to detect a vibration amount of the touch operation sections; a vibration acquisition section to acquire the vibration amount in a period after the drag detection section detects that an arbitrary touch operation section is dragged among the touch operation sections and before the drag detection section detects that another touch operation section adjacent to the arbitrary touch operation section is dragged; and a drag determination section to determine, based on the vibration amount, whether the drag on the arbitrary touch operation section is continuous with the drag on the another touch operation section.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of touch operation sections which are provided to be spaced from each other by a specified distance and detect a position touched by an operating part;

a drag detection section to detect a drag moved in a state where the operating part touches the plurality of touch operation sections;

a vibration detection section to detect a vibration amount of the plurality of touch operation sections;

a vibration acquisition section to acquire the vibration amount detected by the vibration detection section in a period after the drag detection section detects that an arbitrary touch operation section is dragged among the plurality of touch operation sections and before the drag detection section detects that another touch operation section adjacent to the arbitrary touch operation section is dragged; and

a drag determination section to determine, based on the vibration amount acquired by the vibration acquisition section, whether the drag on the arbitrary touch operation section is continuous with the drag on the another touch operation section.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

operation surfaces of the plurality of touch operation sections, together with a gap portion between the touch operation sections adjacent to each other, are disposed on a same plane,

the vibration detection section measures a vibration in a direction vertical to the operation surfaces of the plurality of touch operation sections, and

when the vibration amount acquired by the vibration acquisition section is smaller than a threshold which is smaller than a vibration amount generated by a depressing operation and a separating operation to the touch operation section and is larger than a vibration amount generated by a drag on the touch operation section, the drag determination section determines whether the drag on the arbitrary touch operation section is continuous with the drag on the another touch operation section.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the drag determination section determines, based on the vibration amount acquired by the vibration acquisition section and a physical distance between the arbitrary touch operation section and the another touch operation section, whether the drag on the arbitrary touch operation section is continuous with the drag on the another touch operation section.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a tolerable landing area calculation section which calculates, based on the drag on the arbitrary operation section detected by the drag detection section and the physical distance between the arbitrary touch operation section and the another touch operation section, a tolerable landing area where the operating part touches the another touch operation section when a continuous drag is performed from the arbitrary touch operation section to the another touch operation section, wherein

when the vibration amount acquired by the vibration acquisition section is within the threshold, and the operating part touches within the tolerable landing area calculated by the tolerable landing area calculation section, the drag determination section determines that the dragon the arbitrary touch operation section is continuous with the drag on the another touch operation section.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the vibration amount acquired by the vibration acquisition section is within the threshold, the operating part touches within the tolerable landing area calculated by the tolerable landing area calculation section, and a time elapsed before the drag detection section detects that the another touch operation section is dragged after the arbitrary touch operation section is dragged is within a specified time, the drag determination section determines that the drag on the arbitrary touch operation section is continuous with the drag on the another touch operation section.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of the vibration detection sections to measure a vibration amount of each of the plurality of touch operation sections which are provided to freely change an angle in a gap portion between the touch operation sections adjacent to each other;

an angle measurement section to measure an angle formed between a touch surface of the arbitrary touch operation section and a touch surface of the another touch operation section; and

a threshold setting section to set a threshold for the vibration amount acquired by the vibration acquisition section according to the angle measured by the angle measurement section, wherein

when each of the vibration amounts of the arbitrary touch operation section and the another touch operation section is smaller than the threshold set by the threshold setting section, the drag detection section determines that the drag on the arbitrary touch operation section is continuous with the drag on the another contact operation section.

7. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

detecting a drag moved in a state where an operating part touches a plurality of touch operation sections which are provided to be spaced from each other by a specified distance and detect a position touched by the operating part;

acquiring information of a vibration amount of the plurality of touch operation sections detected by a vibration detection section in a period after it is detected at the step of detecting the drag that an arbitrary touch operation section is dragged among the plurality of touch operation sections and before it is detected that another touch operation section adjacent to the arbitrary touch operation section is dragged; and

determining, based on the vibration amount acquired at the step of acquiring the information of the vibration amount, whether the drag on the another touch operation section is continuous with the drag on the arbitrary touch operation section.

8. An information processing program to cause a computer to execute the steps of:

detecting a drag moved in a state where an operating part touches a plurality of touch operation sections which are provided to be spaced from each other by a specified distance and detect a position touched by the operating part;

acquiring information of a vibration amount of the plurality of touch operation sections detected by a vibration detection section in a period after it is detected at the step of detecting the drag that an arbitrary touch operation section is dragged among the plurality of touch operation sections and before it is detected that another touch operation section adjacent to the arbitrary touch operation section is dragged; and

determining, based on the vibration amount acquired at the step of acquiring the information of the vibration amount, whether the drag on the another touch operation section is continuous with the drag on the arbitrary touch operation section.