Operating apparatus, operating method, program, recording medium, and integrated circuit

• US 8,854,323 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Harada, Kumi, Kojima, Yoshihiro, Yamauchi, Masaki, Takahashi, Tomonari, Ikeda, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, VIET DAVID
• Application Number:
  US13/377,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20120092299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-174
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

An operating apparatus (200) which includes: an operation information obtaining unit (204) which obtains, from an input apparatus (203), operation information indicating operations inputted by a user to first and second input units (201 and 202); an operation amount calculation unit (205) which calculates amounts of the operations by the user to the first and second input units (201 and 202), using the operation information obtained by the operation information obtaining unit (204); and an operation region change unit (215) which changes sizes of first and second operation regions (301 and 302) so that areas of the first and second operation regions (301 and 302) corresponding to the first and second input units (201 and 202) increase as the amounts of the operations to the first and second input units (201 and 202) calculated by the operation amount calculation unit are greater.

Claims

1. An operating apparatus which reflects an operation, inputted by a user to each of a plurality of input units of an input apparatus, on each of a plurality of operation regions that corresponds to each of the input units, the operation regions occupying predetermined areas on a display screen of a display apparatus, said operating apparatus comprising:

an operation information obtaining unit configured to obtain, from the input apparatus, operation information indicating operations inputted by the user to each of the input units;

an operation amount calculation unit configured to calculate an amount of the operations inputted by the user to each of the input units, using the operation information obtained by said operation information obtaining unit and based on operational characteristics obtained between a time and a preceding time that precedes the time by a predetermined duration, the operational characteristics including a moving distance, a moving velocity, a moving acceleration velocity, and an average strength, of the operations inputted with a hand or a finger of the user to each of the input units; and

an operation region change unit configured to change a size of each of the operation regions so that an area of an operation region, of the operating regions, corresponding to an input unit, of the input units, increases as the amount of the operations to the input unit calculated by said operation amount calculation unit is greater.

2. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said operation region change unit is configured to change, when the amount of the operations to the input unit is below a predetermined threshold, an area of the operation region corresponding to the input unit to 0.

3. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said operation region change unit is configured to change the size of each of the operation regions so that a ratio of the area of each of the operation regions approximates a ratio of the amount of the operations to each of the input units to which each of the operation regions correspond.

4. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said operation amount calculation unit is configured to calculate, based on the operation information, a plurality of the operational characteristics that are different in properties from each other, and calculate, as the amount of the operations, a weighted linear sum using predetermined weighting coefficients and the operational characteristics as a parameter.

5. The operating apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the input unit includes an input region which occupies a predetermined area, and is a touch sensor that outputs, as the operation information, at least one of (i) position coordinates of a position and (ii) a touch strength at the position, on the input region, of a touch by the user on the input region, and

said operation amount calculation unit is configured to calculate, as one of the operational characteristics, (i) at least one of a moving distance, a moving velocity, a moving acceleration velocity, and an operation direction, based on the position coordinates, or (ii) an average strength based on the touch strength.

6. The operating apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the touch sensor is of a capacitance type, and

the touch strength is a capacitance value obtained when a finger of the user touches or approaches the touch sensor.

7. The operating apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the touch sensor is of a pressure-sensitive type, and

the touch strength is a pressure value obtained when a finger of the user presses the touch sensor.

8. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operation amount storage unit configured to store the amount of the operations calculated by said operation amount calculation unit;

an operation state determination unit configured to determine, based on the amount of the operations stored in said operation amount storage unit, a state of an operation of the input unit to which the operation region corresponds; and

an operation state storage unit configured to store a result of the determination by said operation state determination unit,

wherein said operation state determination unit is configured to determine (i) that the input unit to which the operation region corresponds is in an operation OFF state indicating that the input unit is not being operated, when the amount of the operations is below the predetermined threshold, and (ii) that the input unit to which the operation region corresponds is in an operation ON state indicating that the corresponding input unit is being operated, when the amount of the operations is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

9. The operating apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a parameter-update-condition determination unit configured to determine whether or not an update of an operation-region-state parameter is required, based on the result of the determination by said operation state determination unit, the operation-region-state parameter indicating whether or not an operation inputted by the user to the input apparatus is to be reflected on the corresponding operation region; and

an operation-region-state parameter update unit configured to update the operation-region -state parameter based on the result of the determination by said operation state determination unit, when it is determined by said parameter-update-condition determination unit that the update of the operation-region-state parameter is required, wherein said parameter -update-condition determination unit is configured to determine that the update of the operation-region-state parameter is required, when results of current and past determinations by said operation state determination unit are different, and

said operation-region-state parameter update unit is configured to set;

(i) the operation-region-state parameter to a valid state indicating that the input to the input apparatus is to be reflected on the corresponding operation region, when the current result of the determination indicates the operation ON state, and (ii) the operation-region-state parameter to an invalid state indicating that the input to the input apparatus is not to be reflected on the corresponding operation region, when the current result of the determination indicates the operation OFF state.

10. The operating apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an operation-region-attribution parameter update unit configured to update the operation-region -attribution parameter that includes information indicating at least the area of the operation region, according to a value of the operation-region-state parameter updated by said operation -region-state parameter update unit,

wherein said operation-region-attribution parameter update unit is configured to update the operation-region-attribution parameter so that the area of the operation region having the operation-region-state parameter set to the valid state, out of the operation regions, is greater than the area of the operation region having the operation-region-state parameter set to the invalid state, and

said operation region change unit is configured to change the size of each of the operation regions according to the values of the operation-region-attribution parameter updated by said operation-region-attribution parameter update unit.

11. The operating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the operation-region-attribution parameter further includes information indicating (i) a shape, (ii) a position on the display screen, and (iii) a method of changing an area, the shape and the position, of the operation region.

12. The operating apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an operation-region-change presentation unit configured to notify, to the user, content of the operation-region-attribution parameter updated by said operation-region-attribution parameter update unit.

13. The operating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said operating apparatus further comprising a pointer position determination unit configured to cause the display apparatus to display a pointer, on a position on the operation region corresponding to the position touched by the user on the input unit, based on a ratio of the area of the operation region indicated in the operation-region-attribution parameter and the area of the input unit corresponding to the indicated operation region.

14. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the input apparatus, wherein the input apparatus includes a chassis and the input units located side by side on a same surface of the chassis.

15. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the display apparatus.

16. An operating method of reflecting an operation, inputted by a user to each of a plurality of input units of an input apparatus, on each of a plurality of operation regions that corresponds to each of the input units, the operation regions occupying predetermined areas on a display screen of a display apparatus, said operating method comprising:

obtaining, from the input apparatus, operation information indicating the operations inputted by the user to each of the input units;

calculating an amount of the operations inputted by the user to each of the input units, using the operation information obtained in said obtaining and based on operational characteristics obtained between a time and a preceding time that precedes the time by a predetermined duration, the operational characteristics including a moving distance, a moving velocity, a moving acceleration velocity, and an average strength, of the operations inputted with a hand or a finger of the user to each of the input units; and

changing a size of each of the operation regions so that an area of an operation region, of the operation regions, corresponding to an input unit, of the input units, increases as the amount of the operations to the input unit calculated in said calculating is greater.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for use in a computer, on which a program is recorded, the program causing a computer to execute a process of reflecting an operation, inputted by a user to each of a plurality of input units of an input apparatus, on each of a plurality of operation regions that corresponds to each of the input units, the operation regions occupying predetermined areas on a display screen of a display apparatus, and the program causing the computer to execute:

obtaining, from the input apparatus, operation information indicating operations inputted by the user to each of the input units;

calculating an amount of the operations inputted by the user to each of the input units, using the operation information obtained in said obtaining and based on operational characteristics obtained between a time and a preceding time that precedes the time by a predetermined duration, the operational characteristics including a moving distance, a moving velocity, a moving acceleration velocity, and an average strength, of the operations inputted with a hand or a finger of the user to each of the input units; and

changing a size of each of the operation regions so that an area of an operation region, of the operation regions, corresponding to an input unit, of the input units, increases as the amount of the operations to the input unit calculated in said calculating is greater.

18. An integrated circuit which reflects an operation, inputted by a user to each of a plurality of input units of an input apparatus, on each of a plurality of operation regions that corresponds to each of the input units, the operation regions occupying predetermined areas on a display screen of a display apparatus, said integrated circuit comprising:

an operation information obtaining unit configured to obtain, from the input apparatus, operation information indicating operations inputted by the user to each of the input units;

an operation amount calculation unit configured to calculate an amount of the operations inputted by the user to each of the input units, using the operation information obtained by said operation information obtaining unit and based on operational characteristics obtained between a time and a preceding time that precedes the time by a predetermined duration, the operational characteristics including a moving distance, a moving velocity, a moving acceleration velocity, and an average strength, of the operations inputted with a hand or a finger of the user to each of the input units; and

an operation region change unit configured to change a size of each of the operation regions so that an area of an operation region, of the operation regions, corresponding to an input unit, of the input units, increases as the amount of the operations to the input unit calculated by said operation amount calculation unit is greater.