Input device, input method and program

• US 10,788,917 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Issued: 09/29/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ukai, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Marinelli, Patrick F
• Application Number:
  US14/651,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20160259442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,314 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A position indicated by a user with a finger or a stylus can be detected even in a case where an edge of a hand on a little finger side or a wrist touches a touch panel.

An input device acquires information indicating a plurality of points on a touch panel affected by a user'"'"'s touch, including the touch with a finger or a stylus, calculates distances between a reference position and at least some of the plurality of points, the reference position indicating a position touched by the user on the touch panel other than with the finger or the stylus, selects one or more points affected by the touch with the finger or the stylus from the at least some of the plurality of points based on the calculated distances, and acquires coordinates of a position indicated by the user based on the selected point.

Claims

1. An input device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

acquire information indicating a plurality of points on a touch panel affected by one or more touches of a user of the input device, including a touch with a finger of the user or a stylus;

calculate distances between a reference position and at least some of the plurality of points, the reference position indicating a position of a user touch of the input device on the touch panel other than with the finger and other than with the stylus;

select a point, from the at least some of the plurality of points, which has a largest calculated distance from the calculated distances;

acquire coordinates of a second position indicated by the user of the input device based on the selected point; and

wherein, in the point selection, the at least one processor further selects one or more points around the selected point as points affected by the touch with the finger or the stylus.

2. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

determine whether or not a number of the one or more touches of the user of the input device on the touch panel is more than one; and

acquire the reference position in a case where it is determined that the number of the one or more touches of the user of the input device on the touch panel is more than one,

wherein, in the distance calculations, the calculations are based on the acquired reference position, and

wherein the point selection is based on the calculated distances between the reference position and the at least some of the plurality of points.

3. The input device according to claim 2,

wherein, in the determination, whether or not the number of the one or more touches of the user of the input device on the touch panel is more than one is determined based on a variance of the plurality of points affected by one or more touches of the user of the input device.

4. The input device according to claim 2,

wherein, in the determination, whether or not the number of the one or more touches of the user of the input device on the touch panel is more than one is determined based on a size of an area touched by the user.

5. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein the reference position is a center of gravity based on the plurality of points affected by one or more touches of the user of the input device.

6. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of points affected by one or more touches of the user of the input device respectively correspond to a plurality of portions on the touch panel where a capacitance is measured.

7. The input device according to claim 6,

wherein, in the distance calculations, the reference position is calculated based on respective positions of the plurality of portions on the touch panel and measurement values at the plurality of portions.

8. The input device according to claim 1,

where each of the plurality of points affected by one or more touches of the user of the input device each indicate a different position affected by the one or more touches of the user of the input device.