OPERATION CONTROL APPARATUS, OPERATION CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20110001694A1
• Filed: 06/23/2010
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2009
• 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 8,633,906 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An operation control apparatus is provided which includes a detection unit for detecting contact of an operation tool with a display surface of a display unit, a contact determination unit for determining a contact state of the operation tool with the display surface based on the detection result by the detection unit, a contact area recognition unit for recognizing, in the case where it is determined by the contact determination unit that the operation tool is in contact with the display surface, a contact area where the operation tool is in contact with the display surface, and an operation determination unit for determining, from a plurality of operation processing associated with an act of the operation tool in contact with the display surface, an operation processing to be executed, based on a size of the contact area recognized by the contact area recognition unit.

Claims

1. An operation control apparatus comprising:

a detection unit for detecting contact of an operation tool with a display surface of a display unit;

a contact determination unit for determining a contact state of the operation tool with the display surface based on the detection result by the detection unit;

a contact area recognition unit for recognizing, in the case where it is determined by the contact determination unit that the operation tool is in contact with the display surface, a contact area where the operation tool is in contact with the display surface; and

an operation determination unit for determining, from a plurality of operation processing associated with an act of the operation tool in contact with the display surface, an operation processing to be executed, based on a size of the contact area recognized by the contact area recognition unit.

2. The operation control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein an act of moving the operation tool while keeping the operation tool in contact with the display surface is associated with scroll processing for scrolling a screen displayed on the display unit and with cursor movement processing for moving a cursor indicating a display position on the display unit, and

wherein the operation determination unit determines an execution of the scroll processing in the case where the size of the contact area is less than a size threshold value for determining the operation processing and the operation determination unit determines an execution of the cursor movement processing in the case where the size of the contact area is equal to or greater than the size threshold value.

3. The operation control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a speed calculation unit for calculating a moving speed of the operation tool based on the detection result by the detection unit,

wherein the operation control unit causes the cursor movement processing to be executed even if the size of the contact area is smaller than the size threshold value, in the case where the moving speed of the operation tool becomes greater than a predetermined speed.

4. The operation control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the operation determination unit, in the case of determining the execution of the scroll processing, executes the scroll processing until the operation tool is released from the display surface.

5. The operation control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the size of the contact area is an area of the contact area.

6. The operation control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the size of the contact area is a length of the contact area in a predetermined direction.

7. An operation control method, comprising the steps of:

detecting contact of an operation tool with a display surface of a display unit;

determining a contact state of the operation tool with the display surface based on the detection result;

recognizing, in the case where it is determined that the operation tool is in contact with the display surface, a contact area where the operation tool is in contact with the display surface; and

determining, from a plurality of operation processing associated with an act of the operation tool in contact with the display surface, an operation processing to be executed, based on a size of the recognized contact area.

8. A computer program for causing a computer to function as an operation control apparatus, comprising:

a contact determination means for determining, based on a detection result by a detection unit for detecting contact of an operation tool with a display surface of a display unit, a contact state of the operation tool with the display surface;

a contact area recognition means for recognizing, in the case where it is determined by the contact determination means that the operation tool is in contact with the display surface, a contact area where the operation tool is in contact with the display surface; and

an operation determination means for determining, from a plurality of operation processing associated with an act of the operation tool in contact with the display surface, an operation processing to be executed, based on a size of the contact area recognized by the contact area recognition means.