INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, THRESHOLD VALUE SETTING METHOD, AND THRESHOLD VALUE SETTING PROGRAM

• US 20100225604A1
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• 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: Homma, Fuminori, Nashida, Tatsushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,648,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes: a recognition section which recognizes the shape of an object being in contact with an operation screen of an operating section; a pressure detecting section which detects the pressure of the object on the operation screen; a threshold value setting section which sets a threshold value of the pressure, which is a value for determining a pressure operation on the operation screen, on the basis of the shape of the object recognized by the recognition section; and a determination section which determines whether or not a pressure operation has been performed on the operation screen on the basis of the pressure detected by the pressure detecting section and the threshold value set by the threshold value setting section.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a recognition section which recognizes the shape of an object being in contact with an operation screen of an operating section;

a pressure detecting section which detects the pressure of the object on the operation screen;

a threshold value setting section which sets a threshold value of the pressure, which is a value for determining a pressure operation on the operation screen, on the basis of the shape of the object recognized by the recognition section; and

a determination section which determines whether or not a pressure operation has been performed on the operation screen on the basis of the pressure detected by the pressure detecting section and the threshold value set by the threshold value setting section.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein when the shape of the object recognized by the recognition section this time is different from the shape of the object recognized by the recognition section last time, the threshold value setting section resets the threshold value on the basis of the shape of the object recognized by the recognition section this time.

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

a storage section which stores a threshold value, which is selected on the basis of the pressure of the object that can be estimated from the shape of the object, for various shapes of the object,

wherein the threshold value setting section selects a threshold value, which corresponds to the shape of the object recognized by the recognition section, from a plurality of threshold values stored in the storage section and sets the selected threshold value as a threshold value of the pressure.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the recognition section recognizes the shape and the size of an object being in contact with the operation screen, and

the threshold value setting section detects the thickness of the object from the shape and size of the object recognized by the recognition section and sets the threshold value on the basis of the thickness.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a threshold value adjusting section which adjusts the threshold value according to the pressure of the object detected by the pressure detecting section after the threshold value is set by the threshold value setting section.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the threshold value adjusting section calculates a change rate of the pressure detected by the pressure detecting section when the pressure of the object detected by the pressure detecting section is smaller than the threshold value, and adjusts the threshold value according to the pressure at a point of time when the change rate has changed from plus to minus.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the threshold value adjusting section adjusts the threshold value when an overshoot characteristic is acquired from a change in the pressure detected by the pressure detecting section.

8. A threshold value setting method comprising the steps of:

recognizing the shape of an object being in contact with

an operation screen of an operating section by means of a recognition section;

setting a threshold value of the pressure of the object on the operation screen, which is a value for determining a pressure operation on the operation screen, on the basis of the shape of the object recognized by the recognition section by means of a threshold value setting section; and

determining whether or not a pressure operation has been performed on the operation screen on the basis of the pressure of the object on the operation screen, which has been detected by the pressure detecting section, and the threshold value, which has been set by the threshold value setting section, by means of a determination section.

9. A threshold value setting program causing an information processing apparatus to execute:

recognizing the shape of an object being in contact with an operation screen of an operating section by means of a recognition section;

setting a threshold value of the pressure of the object on the operation screen, which is a value for determining a pressure operation on the operation screen, on the basis of the shape of the object recognized by the recognition section by means of a threshold value setting section; and

determining whether or not a pressure operation has been performed on the operation screen on the basis of the pressure of the object on the operation screen, which has been detected by the pressure detecting section, and the threshold value, which has been set by the threshold value setting section, by means of a determination section.