Display device, display control method and display control program, and input device, input assistance method and program

• US 9,470,922 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2012
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2011
• 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: Otake, Naoto, Zouda, Shumpei, Obana, Noboru, Igarashi, Tatsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Application Number:
  US14/110,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20140028557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/173, 345/174, 715/863, 178/18.01, 178/18.06
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A display device is equipped with a proximity touch panel that detects coming into proximity or contact of a detection target; a position detection unit that detects position coordinates of the detection target whose coming into proximity or contact has been detected, the position coordinates consisting of coordinates in the X and Y directions and a coordinate in the Z direction; a display unit on which the touch panel is placed; a direction judgment unit that judges a direction of the detection target on the basis of the detected position coordinates; and a display control unit for controlling the display unit to perform a display so that a part of display contents of the display unit which would otherwise be hidden by the detection target is prevented from being hidden, on the basis of the direction of the direction-judged detection target.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a 3-D touch panel that detects coming into proximity or contact of a detection target and

position coordinates of the detection target whose coming into proximity or contact has been detected, the position coordinates including coordinates in X and Y directions that are parallel with a surface of the touch panel and a coordinate in a Z direction that is perpendicular to the surface of the touch panel;

a display on which the touch panel is provided;

a processor and a memory configured as

a direction judger that judges a direction of the detection target on the basis of the position coordinates detected by the 3-D touch panel; and

a display controller that controls the display such that a part of display contents of the display which would otherwise be hidden by the detection target is prevented from being hidden, on the basis of the direction of the detection target judged by the direction judger, wherein;

the direction judger judges a direction of the detection target when the coordinate in the Z direction of the detection target detected by the 3-D touch panel is in a first coordinate range; and

the display controller controls the display to perform a display so as to avoid a portion of a screen of the display which is hidden by the detection target, when the coordinate in the Z direction of the detection target detected by the 3-D touch panel is in a second coordinate range, which is smaller than the first coordinate range.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display controller estimates an overlap portion in the X and Y directions between the screen of the display and the detection target, and controls the display to perform a display so as to avoid the overlap portion.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display controller controls the display to display the part of the display contents at a position that is adjacent to and pointed by a tip of the detection target on the basis of the direction of the detection target judged by the direction judger.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein when sets of position coordinates of two points are detected by the 3-D touch panel, the direction judger judges the direction of the detection target on the basis of a direction of a vector that has, as an initial point, a first point having a large coordinate in the Z direction between the two points, and has, as an terminal point, a second point having a small coordinate in the Z direction.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein when sets of position coordinates of three points are detected by the 3-D touch panel, the direction judger judges the direction of the detection target on the basis of a positional relationship between a straight line, connecting a first point having a largest coordinate in the Z direction among the three points and a second point having a second largest coordinate in the Z direction, and a third point having a third largest coordinate in the Z direction.

6. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the display controller identifies a display item displayed on the screen using the second point, and controls a display position of information relating to the identified display item according to the position coordinates of the first point.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein when the coordinate in the Z direction is in the first coordinate range or the second coordinate range, the display controller controls the display to display information indicating that the coordinate in the Z direction is in the first coordinate range or the second coordinate range.

8. A display control method of a display device having a touch panel that detects coming into proximity or contact of a detection target, the display control method comprising:

detecting position coordinates of the detection target whose coming into proximity or contact has been detected by the touch panel, the position coordinates including coordinates in X and Y directions that are parallel with a surface of the touch panel and a coordinate in a Z direction that is perpendicular to the surface of the touch panel;

judging a direction of the detection target on the basis of the detected position coordinates;

controlling a display, on which the touch panel is provided, to perform a display such that a part of display contents of the display which would otherwise be hidden by the detection target is prevented from being hidden, on the basis of the direction of the direction-judged detection target;

judging a direction of the detection target when the coordinate in the Z direction of the detected detection target is in a first coordinate range; and

controlling the display to perform a display so as to avoid a portion of a screen of the display which is hidden by the detection target when the coordinate in the Z direction of the detected detection target is in a second coordinate range, which is smaller than the first coordinate range.

9. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a display control program that causes a computer comprising a display device having a touch panel that detects coming into proximity or contact of a detection target, to-perform operations comprising:

detecting position coordinates of the detection target whose coming into proximity or contact has been detected by the touch panel, the position coordinates including coordinates in X and Y directions that are parallel with a surface of the touch panel and a coordinate in a z direction that is perpendicular to the surface of the touch panel;

judging a direction of the detection target on the basis of the detected position coordinates;

controlling a display, on which the touch panel is provided, to perform a display such that a part of display contents of the display which would otherwise be hidden by the detection target is prevented from being hidden, on the basis of the direction of the judged detection target,

judging a direction of the detection target when the coordinate in the Z direction of the detected detection target is in a first coordinate range; and

controlling the display to perform a display so as to avoid a portion of a screen of the display which is hidden by the detection target when the coordinate in the Z direction of the detected detection target is in a second coordinate range, which is smaller in the coordinate in the Z direction than the first coordinate range.

10. An input device comprising:

a 3-D touch panel that detects position coordinates of a detection target, while the detection target is approaching and not touching a surface of the touch panel, the position coordinates including coordinate in a Z direction that is perpendicular to the surface of the touch panel;

a display, on which the touch panel is provided, and that displays an object;

a processor and a memory configured as

a pointer coordinates controller that judges, based on the detected position coordinates, whether the detection target is approaching for a touch manipulation of the object or for a contactless manipulation of the object, the touch manipulation manipulating the object by touching the 3-D touch panel with the detection target, the contactless manipulation manipulating the object without touching the 3-D touch panel with the detection target; and

a display controller that controls the display to display an indicator indicating a position of a manipulation target when it is judged that the detection target is approaching for the contactless manipulation, and not to display the indicator when it is judged that the detection target is approaching for the touch manipulation.

11. The input device according to claim 10, wherein the pointer coordinates controller judges that the detection target is approaching for the contactless manipulation when the detected coordinate in the Z direction remains smaller than a prescribed threshold for a time period longer than a prescribed threshold time period.

12. The input device according to claim 10, wherein the detected position coordinates further includes coordinates of the detection target in X and Y directions that are parallel with the surface of the 3-D touch panel,

the input device further comprising an application processor that detects the object displayed in a region on the display, the region corresponding to the detected coordinates in the X and Y directions,

wherein the display controller controls the display not to display the indicator when a size of the detected object, displayed in the region on the display, is larger than a prescribed threshold, regardless of whether it is judged that the detection target is approaching for the contactless manipulation.

13. The input device according to claim 10, wherein the pointer coordinates controller judges that the detection target is approaching for the touch manipulation, when at least one of two conditions are met, the two condition including that the coordinate of the detection target in the Z direction is smaller than a prescribed distance and that a speed of the approaching of the detection target toward the surface of the 3-D touch panel in the Z direction is faster than a prescribed threshold speed.

14. The input device according to claim 10, wherein the pointer coordinates controller judges that the indicator being displayed on the display is to be erased when a transition from a state that the detection target is in contact with the surface of the touch panel to a state that the detection target is not in contact with the touch panel, is detected;

and

the display controller erases the indicator being displayed on the display on the basis of the judgment result of the pointer coordinates controller.

15. The input device according to claim 14, wherein after making the judgment that the indicator being displayed on the display is to be erased, the pointer coordinates controller continues to judge whether to display the indicator again according to the same judgment condition that was employed before the judgment that the indicator being displayed on the display is to be erased.

16. The input device according to claim 14, wherein after making the judgment that the indicator being displayed on the display is to be erased, the pointer coordinates controller judges whether to display the indicator again according to a judgment condition that is different from a judgement condition that was employed before the judgment that the indicator being displayed on the display is to be erased.

17. The input device according to claim 10, wherein the detected position coordinates further include coordinates of the detection target in X and Y directions that are parallel with the surface of the 3-D touch panel, and

the display controller displays the indicator at a position that is spaced, by prescribed offsets, from the coordinates of the detection target in the X and Y directions.

18. The input device according to claim 17, wherein:

the pointer coordinates controller judges whether a prescribed picture has been displayed on the display; and

the display controller changes the offsets according to a judgment result of the pointer coordinates controller.

19. The input device according to claim 17, wherein:

the pointer coordinates controller judges whether a speed of a movement of the detection target away from the 3-D touch panel in the Z direction is higher than a prescribed speed; and

the display controller changes the offsets according to a judgment result of the pointer coordinates controller.

20. An input assistance method of an input device having a display on which a touch panel is provided and that displays an object, comprising:

detecting position coordinates of a detection target, while the detection target is approaching and not touching a surface of the touch panel, the position coordinates including a coordinate in a Z direction that is perpendicular to the surface of the touch panel;

judging, based on the detected position coordinates, whether the detection target is approaching for a touch manipulation of the object or for a contactless manipulation of the object, the touch manipulation manipulating the object by touching the touch panel with the detection target, the contactless manipulation manipulating the object without touching the touch panel with the detection target; and

controlling the display to display an indicator indicating a position of a manipulation target when it is judged that the detection target is approaching for the contactless manipulation, and not to display the indicator when it is judged that the detection target is approaching for the touch manipulation.

21. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a program that causes a computer comprising an input device having a display on which a touch panel is provided and that displays an object, to perform operations comprising:

detecting position coordinates of a detection target, while the detection target is approaching and not touching a surface of the touch panel, the position coordinates including a coordinate in a Z direction that is perpendicular to the surface of the touch panel;

judging, based on the detected position coordinates, whether the detection target is approaching for a touch manipulation of the object or for a contactless manipulation of the object, the touch manipulation manipulating the object by touching the touch panel with the detection target, the contactless manipulation manipulating the object without touching the touch panel with the detection target; and

controlling the display to display an indicator indicating a position of a manipulation target when it is judged that the detection target is approaching for the contactless manipulation, and not to display the indicator when it is judged that the detection target is approaching for the touch manipulation.