Operation input device, operation input method, and program

• US 9,575,604 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2013
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Manba, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): XAVIER, ANTONIO J
• Application Number:
  US14/390,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20150054780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

A touch pad outputs a detection signal indicating a coordinate corresponding to a contact state where a finger is in contact with the coordinate detecting unit, and a detection signal indicating a coordinate corresponding to a proximity state where the finger is in proximity to, without contact with, the coordinate detecting unit. An operation input device detects, based on the detection signals, a contact region in which the finger is in contact with the coordinate detecting unit, and a proximity region in which the finger is in proximity to, without contact with, the coordinate detecting unit. Then, the operation input device determines a pointed coordinate based on the contact region detected and the proximity region detected.

Claims

1. An operation input device comprising:

a touch pad that outputs a detection signal indicating a coordinate corresponding to a contact state where a finger is in contact with the touch pad;

a first interface which, based on the detection signal, detects a contact region in which the finger is in contact with the touch pad; and

a second interface which detects a proximity region in which the finger is in proximity to, without contacting, the touch pad;

wherein

the proximity region is used to determine whether or not to use a pointed coordinate that is pointed by the finger on the touch pad based on whether or not an area of the contact region detected by the first interface is greater than or equal to a threshold value;

the pointed coordinate is determined based on the contact region detected and the proximity region in a case that the area of the contact region detected is greater than or equal to the threshold value; and

the pointed coordinate is determined based on only the contact region detected in a case that the area of the contact region detected is not greater than or equal to the threshold value.

2. The operation input device according to claim 1, wherein

a sensitivity of the touch pad is set so that the touch pad outputs detection signals corresponding to the contact state and the proximity state in the case that it is determined to use the proximity region, and outputs a detection signal corresponding only to the contact state in the case that it is determined not to use the proximity region.

3. The operation input device according to claim 1, wherein a coordinate corresponding to a fingertip in a combined detected region including the contact region detected and the proximity region detected is determined to be the pointed coordinate in the case that it is determined to use the proximity region.

4. The operation input device according to claim 1, wherein a center coordinate of the contact region detected to be the pointed coordinate is determined in the case that it has been determined to not use the proximity region.

5. The operation input device according to claim 1, wherein a threshold value to be compared with the area of the contact region for determination of whether or not to use the proximity region is set based on an area of a thumb which is in contact with the touch pad, and an area of any one of fingers which is in contact with the touch pad, except for a thumb.

6. An operation input method comprising:

detecting a contact region in which a finger is in contact with a touch pad based on a detection signal output from the touch pad;

detecting a proximity region in which the finger is in proximity to, without contacting, the touch pad;

determining whether or not to use the proximity region to determine a pointed coordinate that is pointed by the finger on the touch pad based on whether or not an area of the contact region detected is greater than or equal to a threshold value;

determining the pointed coordinate based on the contact region detected and the proximity region detected in a case that the area of the contact region detected is greater than or equal to the threshold value; and

determining the pointed coordinate based on only the contact region detected in a case that the area of the contact region detected is not greater than or equal to the threshold value;

wherein

the detection signal indicates a coordinate corresponding to a contact state where the finger is in contact with the touch pad.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium including a computer program which causes a computer to execute a method comprising:

detecting a contact region in which a finger is in contact with a touch pad based on a detection signal output from the touch pad;

detecting a proximity region in which the finger is in proximity to, without contacting, the touch pad;

determining whether or not to use the proximity region to determine a pointed coordinate that is pointed by the finger on the touch pad, the determination being performed based on whether or not an area of the contact region detected is greater than or equal to a threshold value;

determining the pointed coordinate based on the contact region detected and the proximity region detected in a case that the area of the contact region detected is greater than or equal to the threshold value; and

determining the pointed coordinate based on only the contact region detected in a case that the area of the contact region detected is not greater than or equal to the threshold value;

wherein

the detection signal indicates a coordinate corresponding to a contact state where the finger is in contact with the touch pad, and a second detection signal indicating a coordinate corresponding to a proximity state where the finger is in proximity to, without contacting, the touch pad.