USER INTERFACE DEVICE ENABLING INPUT MOTIONS BY FINGER TOUCH IN DIFFERENT MODES, AND METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR RECOGNIZING INPUT MOTION

• US 20130332892A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KDDI Corporation
• Original Assignee: KDDI Corporation
• Inventors: Matsuki, Tomoaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,720,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A process is disclosed of operating a user interface device configured to display an image on a display screen and enable user input by a user'"'"'s finger touch on a touch screen in association with the displayed image, the process including: after the user starts a finger touch on the touch screen, if the user holds the finger at a substantially same location for a duration equal to or longer than a predetermined duration, initiating stationary displaying to display the image stationarily on the display screen, despite any later finger-slide motions on screen; and, after the stationary displaying starts, if a match is made between the finger'"'"'s contact point on the touch screen and a location of a desirable graphical object included in the image displayed on the display screen, determining that the user has provisionally selected the object.

Claims

1. A user interface device operable to perform a display function to display on a display screen an image including an object to be manipulated by a user, and a touch panel function to output successive locations of the user'"'"'s finger contact point on a touch screen over time, the user interface device having a drag mode in which a finger-slide motion on the touch panel is recognized as a drag motion, the drag mode serving as an operable mode for recognizing a type of a movement of the finger contact point on the touch panel, the user interface device comprising:

a contact-duration determining unit configured to determine whether or not a stationary-contact duration during which the finger contact point is held substantially stationarily on the touch screen is equal to or longer than a predetermined duration;

a mode activating unit configured to be operable in response to the contact-duration determining unit determining that the stationary-contact duration is equal to or longer than the predetermined duration, to determine that the user'"'"'s motion does not fall within the drag motion, and to then activate a touch focus mode for monitoring locations of the finger contact point, instead of activating the drag mode, with an integral image including the object stationarily displayed on the display screen, despite any later finger-slide motions on the touch screen;

a contact-location determining unit configured to determine whether or not the finger contact point overlaps a region of the object displayed on the display screen, during the touch focus mode; and

a motion-recognition controller configured to be operable in response to the contact-location determining unit determining that the finger contact point overlaps the region of the object displayed on the display screen, to recognize that the user has performed a focusing motion for provisional selection of the object.

2. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein the mode activating unit is configured to activate the drag mode when the stationary-contact duration does not exceed the predetermined duration, and activate the touch focus mode when the stationary-contact duration is equal to or longer than the predetermined duration.

3. The user interface device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a haptic feedback arrangement configured to impart haptic feedback to the user'"'"'s finger in contact with the touch screen; and

a haptic feedback controller configured to be operable in response to the motion-recognition controller recognizing that the user has performed the focusing motion, to control the haptic feedback arrangement to impart the haptic feedback to the finger via the touch screen.

4. The user interface device according to claim 3, wherein the haptic feedback controller is configured to be operable in response to the finger'"'"'s predetermined motion, to control the haptic feedback arrangement to impart vibrations to the finger, the vibrations being as a response to the finger'"'"'s motion, the vibrations substantially simulating a tactile sensation that the finger would experience from a physical button by pressing the physical button instead of a virtual button.

5. The user interface device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pressing-force sensor detecting a pressing force with which the finger presses the touch screen; and

a pressing-force determining unit configured to determine whether or not the detected pressing force is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold,

wherein the motion-recognition controller includes a first click determining unit configured to be operable in response to an event occurring in which, during the touch focus mode, the contact-location determining unit determines that the finger contact point overlaps the region of the object displayed on the display screen, and the pressing-force determining unit determines that the pressing force is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, to determine that the user has performed a click motion for invoking a function assigned to the object that has provisionally been selected by the user.

6. The user interface device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pressing-force sensor detecting a pressing force with which the finger presses the touch screen; and

a pressing-force determining unit configured to determine whether or not the detected pressing force is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold,

wherein the motion-recognition controller includes a second click determining unit configured to be operable in response to an event occurring in which, after a finger touch on the touch screen starts, the contact-location determining unit determines that the finger contact point overlaps the region of the object displayed on the display screen, and the pressing-force determining unit determines that the pressing force is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, irrespective of whether or not the contact-duration determining unit determines that the stationary-contact duration is equal to or longer than the predetermined duration, to determine that the user has performed a click motion for invoking a function assigned to the object that has provisionally been selected by the user.

7. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined duration is longer than an average duration required from a beginning of a finger touch on the touch screen until a beginning of a subsequent finger-slide motion on the touch screen, with the user'"'"'s intention to perform the drag motion, and is shorter than an average duration required from a beginning of a finger touch on the touch screen until a beginning of a subsequent finger-slide motion on the touch screen, with the user'"'"'s intention to perform a motion for selecting the object displayed on the display screen.

8. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein the contact-duration determining unit is configured to measure the stationary-contact duration, irrespective of whether or not the finger'"'"'s contact point overlaps the region of the object displayed on the display screen.

9. A method of recognizing a user input motion performed on a user interface device operable to perform a display function to display on a display screen an image including an object to be manipulated by a user, and a touch panel function to output successive locations of the user'"'"'s finger contact point on a touch screen over time, the user interface device having a drag mode in which a finger-slide motion on the touch screen is recognized as a drag motion, the drag mode serving as an operable mode for recognizing a type of a movement of the finger contact point on the touch screen, the method comprising:

a first step of determining whether or not a stationary-contact duration during which the finger contact point is held substantially stationarily on the touch screen is equal to or longer than a predetermined duration;

a second step, operable in response to a determination being made in the first step that the stationary-contact duration is equal to or longer than the predetermined duration, of determining that the user'"'"'s motion does not fall within the drag motion, and of then activating a touch focus mode for monitoring locations of the finger contact point, instead of activating the drag mode, with an integral image including the object stationarily displayed on the display screen, despite any later finger-slide motions on the touch screen;

a third step of determining whether or not the finger contact point overlaps a region of the object displayed on the display screen, during the touch focus mode; and

a fourth step, operable in response to a determination being made in the third step that the finger contact point overlaps the region of the object displayed on the display screen, of recognizing that the user has performed a focusing motion for provisional selection of the object.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first step is performed irrespective of whether or not the finger'"'"'s contact point overlaps the region of the object displayed on the display screen.

14. A program to be executed by a computer to perform the method according to claim 9.

11. A process of operating a user interface device configured to display an image on a display screen and enable user input by a user'"'"'s finger touch on a touch screen in association with the displayed image, the process comprising:

a first step, in response to an event occurring in which, after the user starts a finger touch on the touch screen, the user holds the finger at a substantially same location for a duration equal to or longer than a predetermined duration, of initiating stationary displaying to display the image stationarily on the display screen, despite any later finger-slide motions on screen; and

a second step, in response to an event occurring in which, after the stationary displaying starts, a match is made between the finger'"'"'s contact point on the touch screen and a location of a desirable graphical object included in the image displayed on the display screen, of determining that the user has provisionally selected the object.

12. The process according to claim 11, further comprising a third step, in response to an event occurring in which, after a determination is made that the user has provisionally selected the object, an intensity of the user'"'"'s finger touch on the touch screen increases over time, of determining that the user has performed a click motion for invoking a function pre-assigned to the object that has provisionally been selected by the user.

13. The process according to claim 11, further comprising a third step, in response to an event occurring in which, after a finger touch on the touch screen starts, irrespective of whether or not the predetermined duration expires, a match is made between the finger'"'"'s contact point on the touch screen and the location of the object displayed on the display screen, and in which the intensity of the user'"'"'s finger touch on the touch screen increases over time, of determining that the user has performed a click motion for invoking a function pre-assigned to the object that has provisionally been selected by the user.