Information Processing Apparatus and Estimating Method

• US 20100229091A1
• Filed: 03/18/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• 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 8,780,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• 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 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Provided is an information processing apparatus including an operation display unit for displaying a display screen and detecting an operation location on the display screen based upon a user operation on the display screen, a pressure detecting unit including a plurality of pressure sensors for detecting a pressure value according to the user operation on the operation display unit for each of the plurality of pressure sensors, an operation type determining unit for determining a type of the user operation, a deriving unit for selectively deriving a barycentric location on the display screen based upon detection results from the plurality of pressure sensors, based upon a determination result from the operation type determining unit, and an estimating unit for estimating a pressure value on the operation location, based upon a derivation result from the deriving unit and upon information of barycentric location candidates.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an operation display unit for displaying a display screen and detecting an operation location on the display screen based upon a user operation on the display screen;

a pressure detecting unit including a plurality of pressure sensors for detecting a pressure value according to the user operation on the operation display unit for each of the plurality of pressure sensors;

an operation type determining unit for determining a type of the user operation, based upon a detection result from the operation display unit;

a deriving unit for selectively deriving a barycentric location on the display screen based upon detection results from the plurality of pressure sensors, based upon a determination result from the operation type determining unit; and

an estimating unit for estimating a pressure value on the operation location, based upon a derivation result from the deriving unit and upon information of barycentric location candidates in which information of a combination of pressure values on a plurality of locations on the display screen is recorded in correspondence with information of the barycentric location.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the estimating unit estimates that the pressure value of the operation location is a combination of pressure values amongst combinations of pressure values recorded in the information of barycentric location candidates, by which the information of the barycentric location is in correspondence with the barycentric location derived by the deriving unit.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the deriving unit also derives a pressure value on the barycentric location, and

wherein the estimating unit estimates a pressure value on the operation location, based upon a derived result from the deriving unit and upon the information of barycentric location candidates in which information of the pressure value on the barycentric location is recorded in further correspondence with the information of the barycentric location.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the operation type determining unit determines a first operation type corresponding to a case where a plurality of operating locations have been detected or a second operation type corresponding to a case where one operation location has been detected, based upon a number of the operation location detected by the operation display unit, and

wherein the deriving unit derives the barycentric location if a determination result indicating the first operation type is sent from the operation type determining unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the deriving unit does not derive the barycentric location if a determination result indicating the second operation type is sent from the operation type determining unit.

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

a processing unit for execute a process depending upon the detection result from the operation display unit and/or a detection result from the pressure detecting unit or a process depending upon the detection result from the operation display unit and/or an estimation result from the estimating unit, based upon the determination result from the operation type determining unit.

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

a storage unit in which the information of barycentric location candidates can be stored; and

an information of barycentric location candidates generating unit for selectively generating the information of barycentric location candidates,

wherein the information of barycentric location candidates generating unit generates the information of barycentric location candidates if a determination result indicating a first operation type corresponding to a case where a plurality of operation locations have been detected by the operation display unit is sent from the operation type determining unit and if no information of barycentric location candidates is not stored in the storage unit.

8. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

determining a type of a user operation, based upon a detection result from an operation display unit for displaying a display screen and detecting an operation location on the display screen based upon a user operation on the display screen;

deriving selectively a barycentric location on the display screen based upon detection results from a plurality of pressure sensors for each detecting a pressure value according to the user operation on the display screen, based upon a determination result from the step of determining; and

estimating a pressure value on the operation location, based upon a derivation result from the step of deriving and upon information of barycentric location candidates in which information of a combination of pressure values on a plurality of locations on the display screen is recorded in correspondence with information of the barycentric location.