INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD METHOD

• US 20110298732A1
• Filed: 02/04/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Hironobu, YOSHIMOTO, Masanori, IMAI, Hideaki, Kosaka, Junichi, Mashiko, Yoshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,610,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

An information processing apparatus including a display device; pointed position detecting means for detecting a specified position by a touch operation of a pointing device on a screen of the display device; sensor means for detecting a position of the pointing device when the pointing device is not in contact with the screen of the display device; and control means for recognizing the touch operation detected by the pointed position detecting means and controlling the information processing apparatus in accordance with the recognized touch operation and the position of the pointing device detected by the sensor means.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a display device;

pointed position detecting means for detecting a specified position by a touch operation of a pointing device on a screen of the display device;

sensor means for detecting a position of the pointing device when the pointing device is not in contact with the screen of the display device; and

control means for recognizing the touch operation detected by the pointed position detecting means and controlling the information processing apparatus in accordance with the recognized touch operation and the position of the pointing device detected by the sensor means.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor means measures a distance between the screen and the pointing device.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pointed position detecting means detects a multi-touch operation by a plurality of pointing devices which contact the screen at multiple locations.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sensor means detects a position of the pointing devices when they are not in contact with the screen after the pointed position detecting means detects the multi-touch operation by the plurality of pointing devices on the screen and a pinched-in gesture by the plurality of pointing devices towards an object displayed on the screen.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the object displayed on the screen is enlarged when the sensor means detects that the pointing devices have moved away from contacting the screen following the pinched-in gesture.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the object is returned back to its original size when the pointed position detecting means detects a touch operation on the screen after the object has been enlarged.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor means is located at a position behind the screen and substantially at a center point of the screen.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus includes a plurality of sensor means.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of sensor means recognizes a direction of movement of the pointing device when the pointing device is not in contact with the screen.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of sensors recognizes a circular movement of the pointing device with respect to the screen when the pointing device is not in contact with the screen.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of sensors recognizes a movement of the pointing device in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with respect to the screen when the pointing device is not in contact with the screen.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of sensor means includes at least two sensor means, one of the two sensor means being located at a position corresponding to an upper half of the screen and the other of the two sensor means being located at a position corresponding to a lower half of the screen.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of sensor means includes at least four sensor means each disposed at a position corresponding to a different quadrant or corner of the screen.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each of the at least four sensor means are inclined at an angle with respect to the screen.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pointed position detecting means detects that an object displayed on the screen is selected according to a touch operation on the screen.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the touch operation to select the object is a double-tap operation on the object by the pointing device.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the touch operation to select the object is a circular motion around the object by the pointing device.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pointing device is a finger of a user.

19. An information processing method, implemented on an information processing apparatus having a display device, comprising:

detecting a specified position by a touch operation of a pointing device on a screen of the display device;

detecting, with a sensor unit, a position of the pointing device when the pointing device is not in contact with the screen of the display device; and

recognizing the touch operation and controlling the information processing apparatus in accordance with the recognized touch operation and the position of the pointing device detected by the sensor unit.

20. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a display device;

a pointed position detecting unit configured to detect a specified position by a touch operation of a pointing device on a screen of the display device;

a sensor unit configured to detect a position of the pointing device when the pointing device is not in contact with the screen of the display device; and

a control unit configured to recognize the touch operation detected by the pointed position detecting unit and control the information processing apparatus in accordance with the recognized touch operation and the position of the pointing device detected by the sensor unit.