Coordinate determination apparatus, coordinate determination method, and coordinate determination program

• US 9,041,649 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2011
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2010
• 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: Yamauchi, Masaki, Kojima, Yoshihiro, Takahashi, Tomonari, Harada, Kumi, Ikeda, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US13/383,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20120113001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038

Abstract

To switch a coordinate mode by automatically recognizing a coordinate mode more usable for a user performing a natural operation, a coordinate determination apparatus (200) according to the present invention includes: an obtain and store unit (204) which obtains coordinate information from a coordinate input device (201) and stores the coordinate information onto a recording medium; a time correlation specifying unit (320) which specifies a correlation between times of input indicated by first and second coordinate information; a coordinate correlation specifying unit (324) which specifies input coordinates indicated by the second and third coordinate information; a coordinate mode selection unit (326) which selects the coordinate mode based on a coordinate correlation value and a time correlation value; and a coordinate transform unit (328) which transforms the input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into coordinates selected according to the coordinate mode.

Claims

1. A coordinate determination apparatus which determines output coordinates corresponding to input coordinates, said coordinate determination apparatus comprising:

an obtain and store unit configured to serially obtain coordinate information indicating the input coordinates and a time of input of the input coordinates, and store the coordinate information onto a recording medium;

a time correlation specifying unit configured to specify, as a time correlation value, a correlation between a time of input indicated by first coordinate information and a time of input indicated by second coordinate information, the first and the second coordinate information being among pieces of coordinate information stored on the recording medium;

a coordinate correlation specifying unit configured to specify, as a coordinate correlation value, a correlation between a set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information and a set of input coordinates indicated by third coordinate information, the second and the third coordinate information being among the pieces of coordinate information;

a coordinate mode selection unit configured to select, as a coordinate mode, one of a first coordinate mode and a second coordinate mode, based on the coordinate correlation value and the time correlation value; and

a coordinate transform unit configured to transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates according to the coordinate mode selected by said coordinate mode selection unit, so as to determine the set of coordinates as the output coordinates,

wherein said coordinate transform unit is configured to (i) transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates previously associated with the set of input coordinates, when the first coordinate mode is selected, and (ii) transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates corresponding to output coordinates already determined for another set of input coordinates, when the second coordinate mode is selected.

2. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said coordinate correlation specifying unit is configured to specify a distance between the sets of input coordinates as the coordinate correlation value and determine whether or not the specified coordinate correlation value is less than a specific threshold that is predetermined,

said time correlation specifying unit is configured to specify a difference between the times of input as the time correlation value and determine whether or not the specified time correlation value is less than a predetermined length of specific time, and

said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to select the second coordinate mode as the coordinate mode, in the case where said coordinate correlation specifying unit determines that the coordinate correlation value is less than the specific threshold and where said time correlation specifying unit determines that the time correlation value is less than the specific time.

3. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said obtain and store unit is configured to obtain the coordinate information from a coordinate input device including an input detection unit,

the first coordinate information is coordinate information corresponding to a time at which a user releases a finger from said input detection unit, and

the second coordinate information is coordinate information corresponding to a time at which the user touches said input detection unit with a finger again after the first coordinate information is detected.

4. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the third coordinate information is coordinate information corresponding to the time at which a user touches said input detection unit with a finger,

the first coordinate information is coordinate information corresponding to a time at which the user releases the finger from said input detection unit after the third coordinate information is detected, and

the second coordinate information is coordinate information corresponding to a time at which the user touches said input detection unit with a finger again after the first coordinate information is detected.

5. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said obtain and store unit is further configured to obtain, and store onto the recording medium, selection completion information including a selection completion time that is a time at which the user completes a selection operation, and

said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to obtain the selection completion information from the recording medium, and prevent selecting or changing the coordinate mode when the time of input indicated by the first coordinate information is within a predetermined length of specific permissible time from the selection completion time.

6. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising

a coordinate input device,

wherein said coordinate input device is configured to receive operations performed by the user for the coordinate input and the selection, and transmit the coordinate information and the selection completion information to said obtain and store unit,

said input detection unit is a clickable touchpad capable of detecting a press operation which is a mechanical operation, and

said input detection unit is configured to specify, as the selection completion time, a time at which the user completes an operation of returning the clickable touchpad, the operation being associated with releasing the finger pressing the clickable touchpad.

7. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to calculate a degree of operation which indicates an operational feature of the user, based on at least one of pieces of coordinate information and selection information that have been obtained by said obtain and store unit prior to the second coordinate information, and change at least one of the specific time, the specific threshold, and the specific permissible time, based on the calculated degree of operation.

8. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to calculate, for each piece of coordinate information among the pieces of coordinate information, a difference between a time of input indicated by the piece of coordinate information and a time of input indicated by another piece of coordinate information, and calculate, as the degree of operation, a reciprocal of an average of differences each being the calculated difference.

9. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to change a value of at least one of the specific time, the specific threshold, and the specific permissible time to a smaller value when the calculated degree of operation is higher.

10. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein a position indicated by the third coordinate information coincides with a position indicated by the first coordinate information.

11. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first coordinate information is included in a first coordinate series which is a series of coordinate information that is input during a time between when the user once touches said input detection unit with a finger and when the user releases the finger,

the second coordinate information is included in a second coordinate series which is a series of coordinate information that is input during a time between when the user touches said input detection unit with a finger again and when the user releases the finger, and

the third coordinate information is included in the first coordinate series.

12. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to cause a display unit to display a specific image, in the case where the predetermined length of specific time has not elapsed since the time of input indicated by the first coordinate information and where said obtain and store unit has not obtained the second coordinate information.

13. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising

an operation recognition unit configured to determine whether or not the first coordinate series indicates a gesture that instructs a display apparatus to start specific calculation processing,

wherein said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to prevent selecting the coordinate mode when said operation recognition unit determines that the first coordinate series indicates the gesture.

14. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said obtain and store unit is configured to obtain, and store onto the recording medium, grip information that is information indicating a position at which the user grips said coordinate input device,

said coordinate determination apparatus further comprises

a grip estimation unit configured to estimate a grip state that indicates a state in which the user grips said coordinate input device, using the grip information obtained from the recording medium, and

said coordinate mode selection unit is configured to change a value of one of the specific threshold, the specific time, and the specific permissible time, according to the grip state estimated by said grip estimation unit.

15. The coordinate determination apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said coordinate input device includes at least two input detection units each being said input detection unit, and

said obtain and store unit is configured to store, onto the recording medium, coordinate information obtained from a first input detection unit and coordinate information obtained from a second input detection unit, the first and the second input detection units being among said at least two input detection units.

16. A coordinate determination method for determining output coordinates corresponding to input coordinates, said coordinate determination method comprising:

serially obtaining coordinate information indicating the input coordinates and a time of input of the input coordinates, and storing the coordinate information onto a recording medium;

specifying, as a time correlation value, a correlation between a time of input indicated by first coordinate information and a time of input indicated by second coordinate information, the first and the second coordinate information being among pieces of coordinate information stored on the recording medium;

specifying, as a coordinate correlation value, a correlation between a set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information and a set of input coordinates indicated by third coordinate information, the second and the third coordinate information being among the pieces of coordinate information;

selecting, as a coordinate mode, one of a first coordinate mode and a second coordinate mode, based on the coordinate correlation value and the time correlation value; and

transforming the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates according to the coordinate mode selected in said selecting, so as to determine the set of coordinates as the output coordinates,

wherein said transforming includes;

(i) transforming the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates previously associated with the set of input coordinates, when the first coordinate mode is selected; and

(ii) transforming the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates corresponding to output coordinates already determined for another set of input coordinates, when the second coordinate mode is selected.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which program is recorded, the program causing a computer to execute the coordinate determination method according to claim 16.

18. An integrated circuit which determines output coordinates corresponding to input coordinates, said integrated circuit comprising:

an obtain and store unit configured to serially obtain coordinate information indicating the input coordinates and a time of input of the input coordinates, and store the coordinate information onto a recording medium;

a time correlation specifying unit configured to specify, as a time correlation value, a correlation between a time of input indicated by first coordinate information and a time of input indicated by second coordinate information, the first and the second information being among pieces of coordinate information stored on the recording medium;

a coordinate correlation specifying unit configured to specify, as a coordinate correlation value, a correlation between a set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information and a set of input coordinates indicated by third coordinate information, the second and the third coordinate information being among the pieces of coordinate information;

a coordinate mode selection unit configured to select, as a coordinate mode, one of a first coordinate mode and a second coordinate mode, based on the coordinate correlation value and the time correlation value; and

a coordinate transform unit configured to transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates according to the coordinate mode selected by said coordinate mode selection unit, so as to determine the set of coordinates as the output coordinates,

wherein said coordinate transform unit is configured to (i) transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates previously associated with the set of input coordinates, when the first coordinate mode is selected, and (ii) transform the set of input coordinates indicated by the second coordinate information into a set of coordinates corresponding to output coordinates already determined for another set of input coordinates, when the second coordinate mode is selected.