INPUT DEVICE, INPUT ASSISTANCE METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20150062033A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishihara, Tomohiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,329,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The present invention includes a display section displaying data in a screen, a touch panel detecting proximity of a finger, a proximity coordinate extracting section extracting proximity coordinates of the finger in the proximity, a pointer coordinate calculating section calculating, when proximity of a plurality of fingers is simultaneously detected, a position Pc2 in the screen corresponding to a middle point Pc of positions of the plurality of fingers as pointer coordinates, a display controlling section causing visual information PT to be displayed in the position corresponding to the pointer coordinates in the screen, and an event detecting section detecting an event for executing prescribed processing when a distance between the plurality of fingers has become equal to or smaller than a prescribed distance.

Claims

1. An input device, comprising:

a display section which displays data in a prescribed screen;

a touch panel which detects proximity of a finger to the screen;

a proximity coordinate extracting section which extracts proximity coordinates corresponding to a position of the finger in the proximity of the screen;

a pointer coordinate calculating section which calculates, when proximity of a plurality of fingers is simultaneously detected, a position in the screen corresponding to a middle point of positions of the plurality of fingers as pointer coordinates on the basis of proximity coordinates of the plurality of fingers;

a display controlling section which controls to display an indicator corresponding to the pointer coordinates in the calculated position in the screen; and

an event detecting section which detects an event for executing prescribed processing when a finger distance between the plurality of fingers has become equal to or smaller than a prescribed distance.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the pointer coordinate calculating section calculates, as the pointer coordinates, a position obtained by projecting the middle point of the positions of the plurality of fingers onto the screen along an axis vertical to the screen.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the pointer coordinate calculating section calculates, when a state where the plurality of fingers simultaneously move substantially parallel is detected, the pointer coordinates again on the basis of proximity coordinates of each of the plurality of fingers obtained during or after movement.

4. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the event detecting section generates a determination event for determining, as an operation target, a display element present in a position in the screen corresponding to the pointer coordinates when a distance between the plurality of fingers has become equal to or smaller than a prescribed distance.

5. The input device according to claim 4, wherein the event detecting section monitors change of the finger distance when the finger distance between the plurality of fingers has become equal to or smaller than the prescribed distance, discriminates a plurality of operation states by comparing the change of the finger distance with prescribed conditions, and generates the event in accordance with a discrimination result.

6. The input device according to claim 5, wherein the event detecting section discriminates a state where two fingers are in contact with each other as a first event, discriminates a state where the two fingers having come into contact with each other once are detached from each other as a second event, and discriminates a state where the two fingers having come into contact with each other twice are detached from each other as a third event.

7. The input device according to claim 4, wherein the event detecting section discriminates, when three or more fingers are simultaneously detected in a proximity state, a combination of fingers, out of the three or more fingers, having a finger distance reduced to be equal to or smaller than a prescribed distance, and generates an event in accordance with a discrimination result.

8. The input device according to claim 4, wherein the event detecting section monitors, when three or more fingers are simultaneously detected in a proximity state, change of a combination of fingers, out of the three or more fingers, having a finger distance reduced to be equal to or smaller than a prescribed distance, and generates an event in accordance with an order of the change.

9. The input device according to claim 7, wherein the display controlling section displays, in the screen, a pointer pointing a position of the pointer coordinates as the indicator.

10. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the display controlling section displays a display element, out of a plurality of operable display elements displayed in the screen, displayed in a position according with or in the proximity of the pointer coordinates to be distinguished, as a selected object, from other display elements.

13. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the event detecting section generates a determination event for determining, as an operation target, a display element present in a position in the screen corresponding to the pointer coordinates when a distance between the plurality of fingers has become equal to or smaller than a prescribed distance.

14. The input device according to claim 13, wherein the event detecting section monitors change of the finger distance when the finger distance between the plurality of fingers has become equal to or smaller than the prescribed distance, discriminates a plurality of operation states by comparing the change of the finger distance with prescribed conditions, and generates the event in accordance with a discrimination result.

15. The input device according to claim 14, wherein the event detecting section discriminates a state where two fingers are in contact with each other as a first event, discriminates a state where the two fingers having come into contact with each other once are detached from each other as a second event, and discriminates a state where the two fingers having come into contact with each other twice are detached from each other as a third event.

16. The input device according to claim 13, wherein the event detecting section discriminates, when three or more fingers are simultaneously detected in a proximity state, a combination of fingers, out of the three or more fingers, having a finger distance reduced to be equal to or smaller than a prescribed distance, and generates an event in accordance with a discrimination result.

17. The input device according to claim 13, wherein the event detecting section monitors, when three or more fingers are simultaneously detected in a proximity state, change of a combination of fingers, out of the three or more fingers, having a finger distance reduced to be equal to or smaller than a prescribed distance, and generates an event in accordance with an order of the change.

18. The input device according to claim 16, wherein the display controlling section displays, in the screen, a pointer pointing a position of the pointer coordinates as the indicator.

19. The input device according to claim 17, wherein the display controlling section displays, in the screen, a pointer pointing a position of the pointer coordinates as the indicator.

20. The input device according to claim 8, wherein the display controlling section displays, in the screen, a pointer pointing a position of the pointer coordinates as the indicator.

11. An input assistance method for an input device including a display section displaying data in a prescribed screen, the input assistance method comprising the steps of:

detecting proximity of a finger to the screen;

extracting proximity coordinates corresponding to a position of the finger in the proximity of the screen;

calculating, when proximity of a plurality of fingers is simultaneously detected, a position in the screen corresponding to a middle point of positions of the plurality of fingers as pointer coordinates on the basis of proximity coordinates of each of the plurality of fingers;

displaying an indicator corresponding to the pointer coordinates in the calculated position in the screen; and

detecting, when a finger distance between the plurality of fingers has become equal to or smaller than a prescribed distance, an event for executing prescribed processing.

12. A program for causing a computer executing as an input device including a display section displaying data in a prescribed screen to realize:

a step of detecting proximity of a finger to the screen;

a step of extracting proximity coordinates corresponding to a position of the finger in the proximity of the screen;

a step of calculating, when proximity of a plurality of fingers is simultaneously detected, a position in the screen corresponding to a middle point of positions of the plurality of fingers as pointer coordinates on the basis of proximity coordinates of each of the plurality of fingers;

a step of displaying an indicator corresponding to the pointer coordinates in the calculated position in the screen; and

a step of detecting, when a finger distance between the plurality of fingers has become equal to or smaller than a prescribed distance, an event for executing prescribed processing.