POINTING SYSTEM, POINTING DEVICE, AND POINTING CONTROL METHOD

• US 20140085200A1
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Osamu, Kawabe, Hideo, Maeda, Takeshi, Seki, Kousuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,880,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

[Object] To provide a pointing system capable of presenting an intuitive operational feeling to a user.

[Solving Means] A pointing device includes a casing, a tactile sense presentation section, and a sensor section. The sensor section detects an operation for the casing and outputs an operation signal for controlling a movement of a pointer on a screen. The control apparatus includes an area setting section and a signal generation section. The area setting section sets a first area that belongs to an inside of a display area of an object on the screen, a second area that belongs to an outside of the display area of the object, and a third area that belongs to a boundary portion between the first area and the second area. The signal generation section calculates a position of the pointer based on the operation signal to generate, when the pointer is located in the first area, a control signal by which the tactile sense presentation section is driven in a first drive mode and generates, when the pointer is located in the third area, a control signal by which the tactile sense presentation section is driven in a second drive mode.

Claims

1. A pointing system, comprising:

a pointing device including

a casing,

a tactile sense presentation section capable of presenting a tactile sense to the casing, and

a sensor section to detect an operation for the casing and output an operation signal for controlling a movement of a pointer on a screen; and

a control apparatus including

an area setting section to set a first area that belongs to an inside of a display area of an object on the screen, a second area that belongs to an outside of the display area of the object, and a third area that belongs to a boundary portion between the first area and the second area, and

a signal generation section to calculate a position of the pointer on the screen based on the operation signal to generate, when the pointer is located in the first area, a first control signal by which the tactile sense presentation section is driven in a first drive mode and generate, when the pointer is located in the third area, a second control signal by which the tactile sense presentation section is driven in a second drive mode different from the first drive mode.

2. The pointing system according to claim 1, wherein

the pointing device is a spatial operation type input apparatus, and

the tactile sense presentation section includes a plurality of vibrating bodies each capable of generating a vibration in an arbitrary axis direction by being individually driven.

3. The pointing system according to claim 2, wherein

the signal generation section generates, when determining that the pointer is approaching the object by an operation of the casing, a third control signal by which the tactile sense presentation section is driven toward a moving direction of the casing.

4. The pointing system according to claim 2, wherein

the signal generation section generates, when determining that the pointer is getting away from the object by an operation of the casing, a fourth control signal by which the tactile sense presentation section is driven toward a direction opposite to the moving direction of the casing.

5. The pointing system according to claim 2, wherein

the signal generation section calculates a moving speed of the casing and changes a drive force of the sensory tentacle presentation section in accordance with the calculated moving speed.

6. The pointing system according to claim 1, wherein

the object is an icon.

7. The pointing system according to claim 1, wherein

the object is a three-dimensional video, and

the first area is a three-dimensional area associated with the three-dimensional video.

8. The pointing system according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor section includes an inertial sensor to detect a movement of the casing and generate a signal associated with the movement.

9. A pointing device, comprising:

a casing;

a tactile sense presentation section capable of presenting a tactile sense to the casing;

a sensor section to detect a movement of the casing within a space and output an operation signal for controlling a movement of a pointer on a screen; and

a signal generation section to generate, when the pointer is located in an inside of a display area of an object on the screen, a first control signal by which the tactile sense presentation section is driven in a first drive mode and generate, when the pointer is located in a predetermined area around the object, a second control signal by which the tactile sense presentation section is driven in a second drive mode different from the first drive mode.

10. A pointing control method, comprising:

setting a first area that belongs to an inside of a display area of an object on a screen, a second area that belongs to an outside of the display area of the object, and a third area that belongs to a boundary portion between the first area and the second area;

calculating a position of a pointer on the screen based on an operation signal output from a pointing device that moves the pointer on the screen; and

presenting, when the pointer is located in the first area, a tactile sense to the pointing device in a first drive mode and presenting, when the pointer is located in the third area, a tactile sense to the pointing device in a second drive mode different from the first drive mode.