Tactile stimulus control apparatus, tactile stimulus control method, and storage medium

• US 10,248,204 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2015
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Saito, Kyota
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Application Number:
  US14/675,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20150277564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

To provide the user with the relationship between the scrolling speed in scroll-displaying and an operation performed on an input surface, a tactile stimulus control apparatus includes an intensity determination unit and a tactile stimulus control unit. In a case where an operation performed by a manipulator on the input surface provided corresponding to a display unit is detected while an image is scroll-displayed by the display unit, the intensity determination unit determines the intensity of a tactile stimulus to be provided to the manipulator based on the scrolling speed at the timing of detection of the operation. The tactile stimulus control unit controls a tactile stimulus generating unit, which is configured to generate the tactile stimulus to be provided to the manipulator, to generate the tactile stimulus with the intensity determined by the intensity determination unit.

Claims

1. A tactile stimulus control apparatus comprising:

one or more processors that, when executing instructions, causes the apparatus to;

control, in a case where a moving operation performed by a manipulator on an input surface provided corresponding to a display unit is detected while an image is displayed by the display unit, a scrolling speed based on the moving operation;

determine an intensity of a tactile stimulus to be provided to the manipulator based on a scrolling speed in a scroll-displaying according to the moving operation; and

control to generate the tactile stimulus to be provided to the manipulator to generate the tactile stimulus with the determined intensity,

wherein in a case where another moving operation on the input surface is detected during the scroll-displaying according to the moving operation, the intensity is determined based on a difference between an operation speed of the other moving operation and the scrolling speed of the scroll-displaying according to the moving operation.

2. The tactile stimulus control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a direction of the moving operation belongs to a first direction range including a scrolling direction, the scrolling speed increases.

3. The tactile stimulus control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a case where a direction of the moving operation belongs to a second direction range including a direction that is opposite to a scrolling direction and an absolute value of the operation speed of the moving operation is smaller than an absolute value of the scrolling speed, the scrolling speed decreases.

4. The tactile stimulus control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in a case where a direction of the moving operation belongs to the second direction range and the absolute value of the operation speed of the moving operation is larger than the absolute value of the scrolling speed, the scrolling direction changes to an opposite direction.

5. The tactile stimulus control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus starts scroll-displaying the image based on the moving operation performed by the manipulator on the input surface and gradually decreases the scrolling speed of the scroll-displaying over time after the moving operation.

6. A tactile stimulus control method to be executed by a tactile stimulus control apparatus, the method comprising:

controlling, in a case where a moving operation performed by a manipulator on an input surface provided corresponding to a display unit is detected while an image is scroll-displayed by the display unit, a scrolling speed based on the moving operation;

determining an intensity of a tactile stimulus to be provided to the manipulator based on a scrolling speed in a scroll-displaying according to the moving operation; and

controlling to generate the tactile stimulus to be provided to the manipulator to generate the tactile stimulus with the determined intensity,

wherein in a case where another moving operation on the input surface is detected during the scroll-displaying according to the moving operation, the intensity is determined based on a difference between an operation speed of the other moving operation and the scrolling speed of the scroll-displaying according to the moving operation.

7. A storage medium storing a program to be read and executed by a computer to execute a tactile stimulus control method comprising:

controlling, in a case where a moving operation performed by a manipulator on an input surface provided corresponding to a display unit is detected while an image is scroll-displayed by the display unit, a scrolling speed based on the moving operation;

determining an intensity of a tactile stimulus to be provided to the manipulator based on a scrolling speed in a scroll-displaying according to the moving operation; and

controlling to generate the tactile stimulus to be provided to the manipulator to generate the tactile stimulus with the determined intensity,

wherein in a case where another moving operation on the input surface is detected during the scroll-displaying according to the moving operation, the intensity is determined based a difference between an operation speed of the other moving operation and the scrolling speed of the scroll-displaying according to the moving operation.

8. A tactile stimulus control apparatus comprising:

a display that displays an image;

one or more processors that, when executing instructions, causes the apparatus to;

generate a tactile stimulus in a case where an operation performed using a manipulator on an input surface provided corresponding to the display is detected; and

control scrolling of the image displayed on the display in accordance with the operation performed using the manipulator on the input surface, and continue scrolling even if there is no operation on the input surface after a predetermined operation,

wherein, in a case where a first operation performed using the manipulator on the input surface, to change a scrolling speed is detected during continuation of the scrolling, the apparatus generates a tactile stimulus that has an intensity corresponding, not to a scrolling speed reflecting the change by the first operation, but to a speed of the scrolling being performed at timing of detection of the first operation.

9. The tactile stimulus control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined operation is flick operation on the input surface.

10. The tactile stimulus control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined speed is decreased over time or is kept at a constant speed.

11. The tactile stimulus control apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the first operation is a tap operation or a touch-down operation on the input surface.

12. A tactile stimulus control method to be executed by a tactile stimulus control apparatus, the method comprising:

displaying an image;

generating a tactile stimulus in a case where an operation performed using a manipulator on an input surface provided corresponding to the display is detected; and

control scrolling of the image displayed on the display in accordance with the operation performed using the manipulator on the input surface, and continue scrolling even if there is no operation on the input surface after a predetermined operation,

wherein, in a case where a first operation performed using the manipulator on the input surface, to change a scrolling speed is detected during continuation of the scrolling, the tactile stimulus is generated having an intensity corresponding, not to a scrolling speed reflecting the change by the first operation, but to a speed of the scrolling being performed at timing of detection of the first operation.