INPUT DEVICE, INPUT OPERATION METHOD, CONTROL PROGRAM, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20140181750A1
• Filed: 12/13/2013
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: FUJIWARA, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US14/105,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20140181750A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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

An input device of the present invention includes a display section which has a display area where a plurality of icons are two-dimensionally arranged and displayed, and a sensor section which has at least a pair of sensors provided spaced apart from each other in areas which do not overlap with the plurality of icons, and detects operated points operated by an operation performed on the pair of sensors. Based on the operated points detected by the sensor section, one specific icon is selected from among the plurality of icons displayed on the display area. Accordingly, even in a case where many icons are being displayed on a relatively small display area a specific icon can be easily selected.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a display section which has a display area where a plurality of icons are two-dimensionally arranged and displayed;

a first sensor section which has at least a pair of sensors provided spaced apart from each other in areas which do not overlap with the plurality of icons, and detects operated points operated by a first operation performed on the pair of sensors; and

an icon selecting section which selects one specific icon from among the plurality of icons displayed on the display area, based on the operated points detected by the first sensor section.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the pair of sensors of the first sensor is a touch sensor which detects a contact point of a human body touching the touch sensor,

wherein the first operation is an operation of bringing the human body into contact with each of the paired touch sensors, and

wherein the first sensor section detects, as the operated points, a first contact point detected by one of the touch sensors and a second contact point detected by other one of the touch sensors.

3. The input device according to claim 2, wherein

the icon selecting section causes a first cursor line to display at a point corresponding to the first contact point on the display area, causes a second cursor line to display at a point corresponding to the second contact point on the display area, and selects, as the specific icon, an icon at a point at intersection of the first cursor line and the second cursor line.

4. The input device according to claim 3, wherein

the icon selecting section causes a display position of the first cursor line to be changed according to a change of the first contact point, and causes a display position of the second cursor line to be changed according to a change of the second contact point.

5. The input device according to claim 2, wherein

the plurality of icons are arranged two-dimensionally in a first direction and a second direction,

the first sensor section has, as the pair of sensors, a first touch sensor provided extending along a third direction corresponding to the first direction, and a second touch sensor provided extending along a fourth direction corresponding to the second direction, and

wherein the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor are provided in an area where the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor do not overlap with each other.

6. The input device according to claim 5, wherein

the first sensor section has, as the touch sensors, a third touch sensor provided extending along a fifth direction corresponding to the first direction and positioned facing the first touch sensor across the display area, and a fourth touch sensor provided extending along a sixth direction corresponding to the second direction and positioned facing the second touch sensor across the display area,

wherein the first touch sensor, the second touch sensor, the third touch sensor, and the fourth touch sensor are provided in an area where the first touch sensor, the second touch sensor, the third touch sensor, and the fourth touch sensor do not overlap with each other, and

wherein one of the first touch sensor and the third touch sensor and one of the second touch sensor and the fourth touch sensor serve as the pair of sensors.

7. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of icons are associated with different functions respectively, and

wherein the input device further comprises an icon function executing section which detects whether a predetermined second operation has been performed on the input device, and executes a specific function associated with the specific icon when the second operation is detected to have been performed.

8. The input device according to claim 7, wherein

the icon function executing section detects, as the second operation, a change of a contact state of a human body with respect to the input device.

9. The input device according to claim 8, wherein

each of the pair of sensors of the first sensor section is a touch sensor which detects a contact point of the human body touching the touch sensor, and

wherein the icon function executing section detects whether the second operation has been performed, by using at least one of the pair of sensors of the first sensor section.

10. The input device according to claim 7, wherein

the icon function executing section has a second sensor section which is different from the first sensor section and detects the second operation, and

wherein the second sensor section has a push?button?type operation switch integrally provided in at least one of the pair of sensors of the first sensor section.

11. The input device according to claim 7, wherein

the icon function executing section has a second sensor section which is different from the first sensor section and detects the second operation, and

wherein the second sensor section has a touch panel provided on a visual field side of the display area.

12. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the pair of sensors of the first sensor section is provided extending along outer circumferential side surfaces of a housing surrounding the display section.

13. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the display section has an outer circumferential area surrounding a perimeter of the display area, and

wherein the pair of sensors of the first sensor section is provided in the outer circumferential area of the display section.

14. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the pair of sensors of the first sensor section is provided in areas outside the plurality of two-dimensionally arranged icons, in the display area of the display section.

15. An electronic device mounted with the input device according to claim 1.

16. An input operation method in an input device including a display section where a plurality of icons are displayed and a first sensor section having at least a pair of sensors provided spaced apart from each other in areas which do not overlap with the plurality of icons, comprising:

a step of two-dimensionally arranging and displaying the plurality of icons on a display area of the display section;

a step of causing the first sensor section to detect operated points operated by a first operation performed on the pair of sensors; and

a step of selecting one specific icon from among the plurality of icons displayed on the display area, based on the operated points detected by the first sensor section.

17. The input operation method according to claim 16, wherein

each of the pair of sensors of the first sensor section is a touch sensor which detects a contact point of a human body touching the touch sensor,

wherein the first operation is an operation of bringing the human body into contact with each of the paired touch sensors, and

wherein the step of detecting the operated points operated by the first operation includes a step of detecting, as the operated points, a first contact point on one of the touch sensors contacted by the human body and a second contact point on other one of the touch sensors contacted by the human body.

18. The input operation method according to claim 17, wherein

the step of selecting one specific icon includes:

a step of causing a first cursor line to display at a point corresponding to the first contact point on the display area,

a step of causing a display position of the first cursor line to be changed according to a change of the first contact point,

a step of causing a second cursor line to display at a point corresponding to the second contact point on the display area,

a step of causing a display position of the second cursor line to be changed according to a change of the second contact point, and

a step of selecting, as the specific icon, an icon at a point at intersection of the first cursor line and the second cursor line.

19. The input operation method according to claim 16, wherein

the plurality of icons are associated with different functions respectively, and

wherein the input operation method further comprises:

a step of detecting whether a predetermined second operation has been performed on the input device; and

a step of executing a specific function associated with the selected specific icon when the second operation is detected to have been performed.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a control program for selecting one of a plurality of icons that is executable by a computer in an input device including a display section where a plurality of icons are displayed and a first sensor section having at least a pair of sensors provided spaced apart from each other in areas which do not overlap with the plurality of icons, wherein the program controls the input device to perform functions comprising:

processing for two-dimensionally arranging and displaying the plurality of icons on a display area of the display section;

processing for causing the first sensor section to detect operated points operated by a first operation performed on the pair of sensors; and

processing for selecting one specific icon from among the plurality of icons displayed on the display area, based on the operated points detected by the first sensor section.