User input apparatus, computer connected to user input apparatus, and control method for computer connected to user input apparatus, and storage medium

• US 10,671,280 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2018
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Rekimoto, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Jennifer T
• Application Number:
  US16/189,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20190079671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 345174, 178 1806
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• 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 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A user input apparatus is provided with user input means for the user to input data or a command by using the user'"'"'s human body, and use-form detection means for detecting a form in which the user uses the user input means by the user'"'"'s human body. A computer connected to the user input apparatus changes the operation of the application being executed by application execution means, according to a detection result obtained by the use-form detection means. Therefore, input operations can be performed without inconvenience even if the user cannot use one hand due to another work.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising:

a display apparatus configured to display a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface includes icons;

an input apparatus superposed onto the display apparatus, the input apparatus includes a plurality of first electrodes arranged along a first direction and a plurality of second electrodes arranged along a second direction different than the first direction in a manner that at least one of the first electrodes overlaps the second electrodes and at least one of the second electrodes overlaps the first electrodes;

a transmitter electrically connected to the first electrodes so as to supply a first signal to the first electrodes sequentially in a scanning manner; and

a receiver electrically connected to the second electrodes so as to receive a second signal from said at least one of the second electrodes, the second signal is alterable according to a distance between an object and an intersection of a scanned first electrode and the second electrodes.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein resource objects are expressed in the graphical user interface by the icons.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the icons correspond to a file, data, or a device.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the icons is operable by an operation from the group consisting of a drag operation, a click operation, and a drop operation.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes a menu.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes a tool.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the input apparatus includes a user input area, a plurality of fingers in the user input area are independently recognized.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the input apparatus is configured to detect an input object making contact with the input apparatus.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the input apparatus is configured to measure a distance between the input apparatus and an approaching input object.

10. An information processing method comprising:

displaying, by a display apparatus, a graphical user interface that includes icons;

superposing, onto the display apparatus, an input apparatus that includes a plurality of first electrodes arranged along a first direction and a plurality of second electrodes arranged along a second direction different than the first direction in a manner that at least one of the first electrodes overlaps the second electrodes and at least one of the second electrodes overlaps the first electrodes;

supplying, by a transmitter electrically connected to the first electrodes, a first signal to the first electrodes sequentially in a scanning manner; and

receiving, by a receiver electrically connected to the second electrodes, a second signal from said at least one of the second electrodes,

wherein the second signal is altered according to a distance between an object and an intersection of a scanned first electrode and the second electrodes.

11. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein resource objects are expressed in the graphical user interface by the icons.

12. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the icons correspond to a file, data, or a device.

13. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the icons is operable by an operation from the group consisting of a drag operation, a click operation, and a drop operation.

14. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the graphical user interface includes a menu.

15. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the graphical user interface includes a tool.

16. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the input apparatus includes a user input area, a plurality of fingers in the user input area are independently recognized.

17. The information processing method according to claim 10, further comprising:

detecting, by the input apparatus, an input object making contact with the input apparatus.

18. The information processing method according to claim 10, further comprising:

measuring, by the input apparatus, a distance between the input apparatus and an approaching input object.

19. A computer program product embodied on a tangible non-transitory computer-readable data storage device, the computer program product comprising:

computer code for obtaining a distance between an input apparatus and an approaching input object,

wherein;

the input apparatus is superposed onto a display apparatus, the display apparatus is configured to display a graphical user interface,

the input apparatus includes a plurality of first electrodes arranged along a first direction and a plurality of second electrodes arranged along a second direction different than the first direction in a manner that at least one of the first electrodes overlaps the second electrodes and at least one of the second electrodes overlaps the first electrodes,

a transmitter is electrically connected to the first electrodes so as to supply a first signal to the first electrodes sequentially in a scanning manner, and

a receiver is electrically connected to the second electrodes so as to receive a second signal from said at least one of the second electrodes, the second signal is alterable according to a distance between an object and an intersection of a scanned first electrode and the second electrodes.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the graphical user interface includes icons.