Click position control apparatus, click position control method, and touch sensor system

• US 8,970,518 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2011
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ujiie, Yoshihiro, Kobayashi, Susumu, Yamauchi, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARKER, JEFFREY ALAN
• Application Number:
  US13/318,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20120056730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control

Abstract

A click position control apparatus that controls a click position on a touch sensor clicked by a user when the user operates an input device including a clickable touch sensor including the touch sensor and a click detecting unit, the click position control apparatus including: a touch position information generating unit which generates touch position information indicating a position on the touch sensor touched by the user; a click judging unit which detects a click on the click detecting unit; a click position information generating unit which generates click position information indicating a click position when the click is detected; and a correcting unit which corrects the click position information based on a positional relationship between a reference position on the input device and the click position.

Claims

1. A click position control apparatus that controls a click position on a touch sensor clicked by a user when the user operates an input device including a clickable touch sensor including the touch sensor and a click detecting unit which is disposed under the touch sensor and is pressed when the user clicks the touch sensor, said click position control apparatus comprising:

a touch position information generating unit configured to generate touch position information indicating a position on the touch sensor touched by the user;

a click judging unit configured to detect a click on the click detecting unit;

a click position information generating unit configured to generate click position information indicating a click position by using the touch position information when said click judging unit detects the click on the click detecting unit, the click position being a position at which the click detecting unit is pressed; and

a correcting unit configured to correct the click position information on the basis of a positional relationship between at least one reference position previously fixed on the input device and the click position, the reference position being indicated in predetermined correction information,

wherein the reference position is determined based on a position at which a hand of the user is in contact with the input device in a posture of the user holding the input device,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined distance threshold,

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information when a distance between the reference position and the click position is equal to or greater than the distance threshold,

the touch position information further indicates a time at which the user has touched the touch sensor,

said click position control apparatus further comprises a storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces of touch position information including the touch position information,

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information with reference to the pieces of touch position information stored in said storage unit,

the click detecting unit is a pressure sensor which detects an intensity of a click on the touch sensor by the user,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined correction intensity,

said click judging unit is configured to;

generate intensity information indicating an intensity obtained from the pressure sensor; and

detect the click on the click detecting unit when the intensity obtained from the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference intensity value,

said storage unit is further configured to store the intensity information and the touch position information in association with each other, and

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information with reference to a plurality of pieces of intensity information and the pieces of touch position information stored in said storage unit so that the corrected click position is a position indicated in the touch position information associated with the intensity information indicating the intensity equal to or greater than the correction intensity, the pieces of intensity information including the intensity information.

2. The click position control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the click detecting unit is a pressure sensor which detects an intensity of a click on the touch sensor by the user, and

said click judging unit is configured to detect the click on the click detecting unit when an intensity obtained from the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference intensity value.

3. The click position control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a grip information generating unit configured to generate grip information indicating how the user is holding the input device;

a correction information storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces of correction information including the correction information; and

a selecting unit configured to select one of the pieces of correction information on the basis of the grip information,

wherein said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information using the correction information selected by said selecting unit.

4. The click position control apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising

a user information storage unit configured to store user information indicating a characteristic of the user,

wherein said selecting unit is further configured to correct the selected correction information on the basis of the user information, and

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information using the correction information corrected by said selecting unit.

5. The click position control apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the grip information is information indicating that the input device is being held by a left hand, a right hand or both hands of the user.

6. The click position control apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the grip information is information indicating a position at which a hand of the user is in contact with the input device.

7. The click position control apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the grip information is information indicating an orientation of the input device.

8. The click position control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reference position is a position on the clickable touch sensor or on a perimeter of the clickable touch sensor.

9. The click position control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the reference position is a position at which a base of a finger operating the clickable touch sensor is located.

10. The click position control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the correction information further indicates a predetermined correction distance, and

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information so that the corrected click position is a position at the correction distance from the click position and in a direction from the reference position toward the click position.

11. The click position control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the click position information further indicates a time at which the click detecting unit is pressed,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined correction amount of time, and

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information with reference to the pieces of touch position information stored in said storage unit so that the corrected click position is a position indicated in one of the pieces of touch position information which indicates a time which precedes the time indicated in the click position information by the correction amount of time.

12. The click position control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the correction information further indicates a predetermined correction distance, and

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information so that the corrected click position is, among positions indicated in the pieces of touch position information stored in said storage unit, a position closest to a position at the correction distance from the click position indicated in the click position information.

13. The click position control apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information so that the corrected click position is, among the positions indicated in the pieces of touch position information stored in said storage unit, a position closest to a position at the correction distance from the click position indicated in the click position information along a trajectory of the touch position information.

14. A click position control method for controlling a click position on a touch sensor clicked by a user when the user operates an input device including a clickable touch sensor including a touch sensor and a click detecting unit which is disposed under the touch sensor and is pressed when the user clicks the touch sensor, said click position control method comprising:

generating touch position information indicating a position on the touch sensor touched by the user;

detecting a click on the click detecting unit;

generating click position information indicating a click position by using the touch position information when the click on the click detecting unit is detected in said detecting, the click position being a position at which the click detecting unit is pressed; and

correcting the click position information on the basis of a positional relationship between at least one reference position previously fixed on the input device and the click position, the reference position being indicated in predetermined correction information,

wherein the reference position is determined based on a position at which a hand of the user is in contact with the input device in a posture of the user holding the input device,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined distance threshold,

the click position information is corrected when a distance between the reference position and the click position is equal to or greater than the distance threshold,

the touch position information further indicates a time at which the user has touched the touch sensor,

a plurality of pieces of touch position information including the touch position information are stored in a storage unit,

the click position information is corrected with reference to the pieces of touch position information stored in the storage unit,

the click detecting unit is a pressure sensor which detects an intensity of a click on the touch sensor by the user,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined correction intensity,

said detecting a click on the click detecting unit includes;

generating intensity information indicating an intensity obtained from the pressure sensor; and

detecting the click on the click detecting unit when the intensity obtained from the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference intensity value,

the intensity information and the touch position information are stored in the storage unit in association with each other, and

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information is corrected with reference to a plurality of pieces of intensity information and the pieces of touch position information stored in the storage unit so that the corrected click position is a position indicated in the touch position information associated with the intensity information indicating the intensity equal to or greater than the correction intensity, the pieces of intensity information including the intensity information.

15. An integrated circuit that controls a click position on a touch sensor clicked by a user when the user operates an input device including a clickable touch sensor including a touch sensor and a click detecting unit which is disposed under the touch sensor and is pressed when the user clicks the touch sensor, said integrated circuit comprising:

a touch position information generating unit configured to generate touch position information indicating a position on the touch sensor touched by the user;

a click judging unit configured to detect a click on the click detecting unit;

a click position information generating unit configured to generate click position information indicating a click position by using the touch position information when said click judging unit detects the click on the click detecting unit, the click position being a position at which the click detecting unit is pressed; and

a correcting unit configured to correct the click position information on the basis of a positional relationship between at least one reference position previously fixed on the input device and the click position, the reference position being indicated in predetermined correction information,

wherein the reference position is determined based on a position at which a hand of the user is in contact with the input device in a posture of the user holding the input device,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined distance threshold,

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information when a distance between the reference position and the click position is equal to or greater than the distance threshold,

the touch position information further indicates a time at which the user has touched the touch sensor,

said click position control apparatus further comprises a storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces of touch position information including the touch position information,

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information with reference to the pieces of touch position information stored in said storage unit,

the click detecting unit is a pressure sensor which detects an intensity of a click on the touch sensor by the user,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined correction intensity,

said click judging unit is configured to;

generate intensity information indicating an intensity obtained from the pressure sensor; and

detect the click on the click detecting unit when the intensity obtained from the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference intensity value,

said storage unit is further configured to store the intensity information and the touch position information in association with each other, and

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information with reference to a plurality of pieces of intensity information and the pieces of touch position information stored in said storage unit so that the corrected click position is a position indicated in the touch position information associated with the intensity information indicating the intensity equal to or greater than the correction intensity, the pieces of intensity information including the intensity information.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a computer program recorded thereon for causing a computer to execute a click position control method for controlling a click position on a touch sensor clicked by a user when the user operates an input device including a clickable touch sensor including a touch sensor and a click detecting unit which is disposed under the touch sensor and is pressed when the user clicks the touch sensor, the click position control method comprising:

generating touch position information indicating a position on the touch sensor touched by the user;

detecting a click on the click detecting unit;

generating click position information indicating a click position by using the touch position information when said click judging unit detects the click on the click detecting unit, the click position being a position at which the click detecting unit is pressed; and

correcting the click position information on the basis of a positional relationship between at least one reference position previously fixed on the input device and the click position, the reference position being indicated in predetermined correction information,

wherein the reference position is determined based on a position at which a hand of the user is in contact with the input device in a posture of the user holding the input device,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined distance threshold,

the click position information is corrected when a distance between the reference position and the click position is equal to or greater than the distance threshold,

the touch position information further indicates a time at which the user has touched the touch sensor,

a plurality of pieces of touch position information including the touch position information are stored in a storage unit,

the click position information is corrected with reference to the pieces of touch position information stored in the storage unit,

the click detecting unit is a pressure sensor which detects an intensity of a click on the touch sensor by the user,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined correction intensity,

said detecting a click on the click detecting unit includes;

generating intensity information indicating an intensity obtained from the pressure sensor; and

detecting the click on the click detecting unit when the intensity obtained from the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference intensity value,

the intensity information and the touch position information are stored in the storage unit in association with each other, and

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information is corrected with reference to a plurality of pieces of intensity information and the pieces of touch position information stored in the storage unit so that the corrected click position is a position indicated in the touch position information associated with the intensity information indicating the intensity equal to or greater than the correction intensity, the pieces of intensity information including the intensity information.

17. A touch sensor system comprising:

an input device which includes a clickable touch sensor; and

a click position control apparatus which controls a click position on a touch sensor clicked by a user when the user operates said input device,

wherein said clickable touch sensor includes;

said touch sensor; and

a click detecting unit which is disposed under said touch sensor and is pressed when the user clicks said touch sensor;

said click position control apparatus includes;

a touch position information generating unit configured to generate touch position information indicating a position on said touch sensor touched by the user;

a click judging unit configured to detect a click on said click detecting unit;

a click position information generating unit configured to generate click position information indicating a click position by using the touch position information when said click judging unit detects the click on said click detecting unit, the click position being a position at which said click detecting unit is pressed; and

a correcting unit configured to correct the click position information on the basis of a positional relationship between at least one reference position previously fixed on said input device and the click position, the reference position being indicated in predetermined correction information,

wherein the reference position is determined based on a position at which a hand of the user is in contact with said input device in a posture of the user holding said input device,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined distance threshold,

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information when a distance between the reference position and the click position is equal to or greater than the distance threshold,

the touch position information further indicates a time at which the user has touched the touch sensor,

said click position control apparatus further comprises a storage unit configured to store a plurality of pieces of touch position information including the touch position information,

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information with reference to the pieces of touch position information stored in said storage unit,

the click detecting unit is a pressure sensor which detects an intensity of a click on the touch sensor by the user,

the correction information further indicates a predetermined correction intensity,

said click judging unit is configured to;

generate intensity information indicating an intensity obtained from the pressure sensor; and

detect the click on the click detecting unit when the intensity obtained from the pressure sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference intensity value,

said storage unit is further configured to store the intensity information and the touch position information in association with each other, and

said correcting unit is configured to correct the click position information with reference to a plurality of pieces of intensity information and the pieces of touch position information stored in said storage unit so that the corrected click position is a position indicated in the touch position information associated with the intensity information indicating the intensity equal to or greater than the correction intensity, the pieces of intensity information including the intensity information.