Display control device, method, program, and integrated circuit

• US 8,860,676 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2011
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2010
• 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: Higashi, Akio, Yamauchi, Masaki, Kobayashi, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US13/257,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20120013463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 340/500, 340/540, 340/407.1, 345/156, 345/173, 345/672, 341 22- 24, 116/200, 116/205, 116/209, 715/863, 178/2.R, 178/18.01
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• 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

Abstract

The display control device is a display control device which receives a signal from the operating device having a touchpad and generates screen data to be displayed on a screen, the display control device including: a touch information detecting unit (201) which detects touch information including position information about a position on the touchpad that is touched with a finger of a user during operation of the touchpad; a direction determining unit (203) which determines a direction intended by the user, using a characteristic which is indicated by the touch information detected by the touch information detecting unit (201) and which results from the operation on the touchpad with the finger; and a screen data generating unit (205) which generates the screen data depending on the direction determined by the direction determining unit (203).

Claims

1. A display control device which receives a signal from an operating device having a touchpad and generates screen data to be displayed on a screen, said display control device comprising:

a touch information detecting unit configured to detect touch information including position information about a position of a finger of a user on the touchpad that is touched with the finger of the user during an operation of the touchpad;

a direction determining unit configured to determine an orientation of the touchpad as intended by the user, using a characteristic which is indicated by the touch information detected by said touch information detecting unit and which results from a structure of the finger; and

a screen data generating unit configured to generate the screen data depending on the orientation of the touchpad determined by said direction determining unit,

wherein the characteristic is a shape of a trajectory formed by a movement of the position of the finger of the user indicated by the position information, and

wherein said direction determining unit is configured to determine the orientation of the touchpad, such that (i) when the trajectory is convex, a convex side of the trajectory is an upper side of the touchpad, or (ii) when the trajectory is concave, a concave side of the trajectory is a lower side of the touchpad.

2. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein said direction determining unit is configured to determine, using the characteristic, whether the orientation of the touchpad upward, downward, left, or right as viewed by the user.

3. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein said direction determining unit is configured to determine, using the characteristic, the orientation of the operating device.

4. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a touch information accumulation unit configured to accumulate a plurality of touch information items including the touch information detected by said touch information detecting unit,

wherein said direction determining unit is configured to determine the orientation using the characteristic indicated by the touch information items accumulated by said touch information accumulation unit.

5. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a cursor position determining unit configured to determine a display position of a cursor indicating a pointing position on the screen, from the position information in the touch information detected by said touch information detecting unit,

wherein said cursor position determining unit is configured to determine the display position depending on the orientation determined by said direction determining unit, and

said screen data generating unit is configured to generate the screen data for displaying the cursor at the display position determined by said cursor position determining unit.

6. The display control device according to claim 5, wherein said cursor position determining unit is configured to correct, when the orientation determined by said direction determining unit is different from a predetermined orientation for the operating device, the display position determined by the position information and the predetermined orientation, to determine the display position.

7. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising an alert data generating unit configured to generate alert data for notifying the user of an alert,

wherein said alert data generating unit is configured to generate the alert data when the orientation determined by said direction determining unit is different from a predetermined orientation for the operating device.

8. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor information detecting unit configured to detect held-part information that is information about a part of the operating device held by the user, from a sensor provided at an outer periphery of the operating device and detecting a touch by the user,

wherein said direction determining unit is configured to determine the orientation depending on the characteristic and the held-part information detected by said sensor information detecting unit.

9. The display control device according to claim 7, further comprising a sensor information detecting unit configured to detect gravity direction information that is information about a gravity direction of gravity on the operating device, from a sensor detecting the gravity direction,

wherein said direction determining unit is configured to determine the orientation depending on the characteristic and the gravity direction information detected by said sensor information detecting unit.

10. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an alert data generating unit configured to generate alert data for notifying the user of an alert; and

a sensor information detecting unit configured to detect held-part information that is information about a part of the operating device held by the user, from a sensor provided at an outer periphery of the operating device and detecting a touch by the user,

wherein said alert data generating unit is configured to generate the alert data when an orientation estimated, based on the held-part information detected by said sensor information detecting unit, as the orientation intended by the user is different from the orientation determined by said direction determining unit.

11. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an alert data generating unit configured to generate alert data for notifying the user of an alert; and

a sensor information detecting unit configured to detect gravity direction information that is information about a gravity direction of gravity on the operating device, from a sensor detecting the gravity direction,

wherein said alert data generating unit is configured to generate the alert data when an orientation estimated, based on the gravity direction information detected by said sensor information detecting unit, as the orientation intended by the user is different from the orientation determined by said direction determining unit.

12. The display control device according to claim 5, further comprising:

an alert data generating unit configured to generate alter data for notifying the user of an alert; and

a sensor information detecting unit configured to detect, from a first sensor, held-part information that is information about a part of the operating device held by the user, and detect, from a second sensor, gravity direction information that is information about a gravity direction of gravity on the operating device, the first sensor being provided at an outer periphery of the operating device and detecting a touch by the user, and the second sensor detecting the gravity direction,

wherein said cursor position determining unit is configured to determine the display position depending on the orientation determined by said direction determining unit, when an orientation estimated, based on the held-part information and the gravity direction information detected by said sensor information detecting unit, as the orientation intended by the user matches the orientation determined by said direction determining unit, and

said alert data generating unit is configured to generate the alert data when the orientation estimated, based on the held-part information and the gravity direction information detected by said sensor information detecting unit, as the orientation intended by the user does not match the orientation determined by said direction determining unit.

13. The display control device according to claim 1,

wherein said touch information detecting unit is configured to receive a signal from the operating device having two touchpads, and detect two touch information items each including position information about a position on one of the two touchpads which is touched with one of the user'"'"'s fingers during an operation of the two touchpads, and

when two characteristics respectively indicated by the two touch information items detected by said touch information detecting unit match each other, said direction determining unit is configured to determine the orientation using one of the two characteristics.

14. A display control method for receiving a signal from an operating device having a touchpad, and generating screen data to be displayed on a screen, said display control method comprising:

detecting touch information including position information about a position of a finger of a user on the touchpad that is touched with the finger of the user during an operation of the touchpad;

determining an orientation of the touchpad as intended by the user, using a characteristic which is indicated by the touch information detected in said detecting and which results from a structure of the finger; and

generating the screen data depending on the orientation of the touchpad determined in said determining,

wherein the characteristic is a shape of a trajectory formed by a movement of the position of the finger of the user indicated by the position information, and

wherein said determining further determines the orientation of the touchpad, such that (i) when the trajectory is convex, a convex side of the trajectory is an upper side of the touchpad, or (ii) when the trajectory is concave, a concave side of the trajectory is a lower side of the touch pad.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for use in a computer, said recording medium having a computer program recorded thereon for causing the computer to execute said display control method according to claim 14.

16. An integrated circuit which receives a signal from an operating device having a touchpad and generates screen data to be displayed on a screen, said integrated circuit comprising:

a touch information detecting unit configured to detect touch information including position information about a position of a finger of a user on the touchpad that is touched with the finger of the user during an operation of the touchpad;

a direction determining unit configured to determine an orientation of the touchpad as intended by the user, using a characteristic which is indicated by the touch information detected by said touch information detecting unit and which results from a structure of the finger; and

a screen data generating unit configured to generate the screen data depending on the orientation of the touchpad determined by said direction determining unit,

wherein the characteristic is a shape of a trajectory formed by a movement of the position of the finger of the user indicated by the position information, and

wherein said direction determining unit is configured to determine the orientation of the touchpad, such that (i) when the trajectory is convex, a convex side of the trajectory is an upper side of the touchpad, or (ii) when the trajectory is concave, a concave side of the trajectory is a lower side of the touchpad.