JP2013117784A - Input device, information terminal, input control method, and input control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device, etc. capable of performing various different kinds of operations responding to user's input operation while improving the operability for the user.SOLUTION: The input device includes: a touch panel 11 that detects proximity and contact of plural input means with respect to a predetermined coordinate region; a coordinate detection unit 13 that detects proximity coordinates which are the coordinates when a proximity is made with respect to the touch panel 11 and contact coordinates which are the coordinates when a contact is made to the touch panel 11; and an operation control section 14 that allots an operation to each input means which made the proximity or contact with the coordinates base on the detected coordinates and executes the operation allotted to the input means which comes into contact with the detected contact coordinates.

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device, an information terminal, an input control method, and an input control program. In particular, the present invention relates to a technique for accepting a user input operation on a physical surface such as a touch panel.

  In recent years, various portable terminals typified by smartphones and information processing devices such as personal computers often have a touch panel as a device for input operation. Further, in a general input device using a touch panel, an input operation is detected based on two types of states of contact / non-contact of a user's finger with respect to the surface of the touch panel.

  In addition, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone has various functions of different types, and it is necessary to selectively execute a function desired by the user from among various functions by a user input operation. However, since a general input device identifies a user's operation only by touching the touch panel, in order to select and execute a desired function from various functions, the user performs many touch operations. I had to do it. That is, the operability is insufficient from the user viewpoint.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 disclose techniques for improving user operability in such an input device.

  In Patent Literature 1, the proximity and contact of an object (finger or pen) to the touch panel surface is detected, the speed at which the object approaches is grasped, and the content mode is switched or the icon is enlarged according to the level of this speed. Propose to change the rate.

  Patent Document 2 proposes that an operation menu is automatically displayed on a display screen when a finger approaches the touch panel surface. According to this, since a plurality of operation buttons can be arranged in the displayed operation menu, the function to be executed can be switched by selecting a button to be touched by the user.

JP 2010-205050 A JP 2002-358162 A

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, the user cannot know in advance how fast the finger is brought to move the operation intended by the user. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the user cannot perform the operation as intended, and the user must learn the operation method over time while repeating trial and error. Further, in order to adjust the speed at which the finger is brought close, the user needs to operate the finger slowly, and as a result, the input operation itself takes time.

  In the technique of Patent Document 2, the correspondence between the operation and the operation to be executed is easy to understand from the user's viewpoint, but since it is only the operation for displaying the menu in a fixed manner, it is not versatile. That is, various menus of different types cannot be displayed. In addition, if the user brings his finger close to the touch panel for operation, the menu is displayed even when not intended, so that the user may feel this operation troublesome.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can perform various types of operations according to user input operations and can improve user operability, An object is to provide an information terminal, an input control method, and an input control program.

  The input device according to the present invention includes an input detection unit that detects the proximity and contact of a plurality of input units with respect to a predetermined coordinate area, and the proximity coordinate that is a proximity coordinate detected by the input detection unit and the input detection unit. A coordinate detection unit that detects a contact coordinate that is a detected coordinate at the time of contact, and each operation is assigned to each input means that is close to each proximity coordinate based on each proximity coordinate detected by the coordinate detection unit When the motion allocation unit and any of the proximity coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit substantially match the contact coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit, the motion allocation unit is configured to input means that has touched the contact coordinate. And an operation execution unit that executes the operation assigned by.

  According to this configuration, for example, a plurality of fingers of the user's hand can be used as input means, and the operation to be executed can be switched depending on the difference of the operated fingers. In addition, since a motion is assigned to each finger, the user can grasp the relationship between each finger and the motion to be performed before the operation. Various types of operations can be executed in accordance with user input operations, and user operability can be improved.

  Moreover, the information terminal of this invention is provided with the said input device.

  According to this configuration, for example, a plurality of fingers of the user's hand can be used as input means, and the operation to be executed can be switched depending on the difference of the operated fingers. In addition, since a motion is assigned to each finger, the user can grasp the relationship between each finger and the motion to be performed before the operation. Various types of operations can be executed in accordance with user input operations, and user operability can be improved.

  The input control method of the present invention includes a step of detecting the proximity and contact of a plurality of input means with respect to a predetermined coordinate area, the proximity coordinates that are the detected proximity coordinates, and the detected coordinates at the time of contact. Detecting the contact coordinates, assigning each operation to each input means close to each proximity coordinate based on each detected proximity coordinate, any of the detected proximity coordinates and When the detected contact coordinates substantially coincide with each other, a step of executing the assigned operation on the input means that has touched the contact coordinates is included.

  According to this method, for example, a plurality of fingers of the user's hand can be used as input means, and the operation to be executed can be switched depending on the difference of the operated fingers. In addition, since a motion is assigned to each finger, the user can grasp the relationship between each finger and the motion to be performed before the operation. Various types of operations can be executed in accordance with user input operations, and user operability can be improved.

  The input control program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the input control method.

  According to this program, for example, a plurality of fingers of the user's hand can be used as input means, and the operation to be executed can be switched depending on the difference in the operated fingers. In addition, since a motion is assigned to each finger, the user can grasp the relationship between each finger and the motion to be performed before the operation. Various types of operations can be executed in accordance with user input operations, and user operability can be improved.

  According to the present invention, various types of operations can be executed in accordance with the user's input operation, and the operability of the user can be improved.

The block diagram which shows the structural example of the input device in embodiment of this invention The flowchart which shows the main operation examples of the input device in embodiment of this invention The flowchart which shows the detailed operation example in the process of step S13 of FIG. The flowchart which shows the 1st example of the detailed operation | movement in the process of step S16 of FIG. The flowchart which shows the 2nd example of the detailed operation | movement in the process of step S16 of FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the table showing the correspondence of the condition in the embodiment of this invention, a finger number, and operation | movement. The top view which shows the 1st example of the operating surface of a touchscreen in embodiment of this invention, and the state of a user's hand. Schematic diagram showing the position of each finger in the coordinate area on the touch panel in the case of FIG. The top view which shows the 2nd example of the operating surface of a touchscreen in embodiment of this invention, and a user's hand state The top view which shows the 3rd example of the operation surface of a touchscreen in embodiment of this invention, and a user's hand state The top view which shows the 4th example of the operation surface of a touchscreen in embodiment of this invention, and a user's hand state Schematic diagram showing the position of each finger in the coordinate area on the touch panel in the case of FIG. The figure which shows an example of the operation surface of a touch panel in the case of operating with the left hand in embodiment of this invention, and a user's hand state, and the position of each finger in the coordinate area | region in a touch panel in this case

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  An example of the configuration of the main part of the input device of this embodiment is shown in FIG. The input device 100 is mounted on an information terminal, for example. For example, the information terminal is assumed to be configured as a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a mobile phone terminal, a mobile information terminal, a mobile music player, or various information processing apparatuses represented by a personal computer.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the input device 100 includes a display unit 10, a touch panel 11, an approach / contact determination unit 12, a coordinate detection unit 13, a motion control unit 14, a motion storage unit 15, a proximity coordinate storage unit 16, and direction detection. A unit 17 and a display control unit 18 are provided.

  Note that the proximity / contact determination unit 12, the coordinate detection unit 13, the operation control unit 14, and the display control unit 18 shown in FIG. 1 can be configured by hardware of a dedicated electric circuit, or a microcomputer. It can also be realized by executing a predetermined program.

  The display unit 10 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display panel, and has a screen capable of displaying various visible information such as characters, graphics, and images. The display content of the display unit 10 is controlled by the display control unit 18.

  The touch panel 11 has an operation surface arranged so as to overlap with the screen of the display unit 10, and detects the approach and contact of input means (finger, stylus pen, etc.) for each minute region on the operation surface. It has the necessary functions to do.

  As a representative example, it is assumed that the touch panel 11 detects an input unit such as a finger that approaches and contacts the operation surface based on the capacitance.

  Based on the electrical signal output from the touch panel 11, the approach / contact determination unit 12 determines the presence / absence of an input unit that has approached or touched the operation surface for each micro area. When the touch panel 11 detects the capacitance, the capacitance increases as the distance between the operation surface and the input unit decreases. For example, by comparing two types of threshold values with the detected capacitance, three types of states “no input means / with adjacent input means / with touched input means” can be identified. Further, since the input means is detected for each minute area of the operation surface, the approach and contact of a plurality of input means can be detected simultaneously in different areas independent from each other.

  The coordinate detection unit 13 detects the coordinates of the corresponding position for each input means for which the approach / contact determination unit 12 has detected the approach or contact. The coordinate plane 11A corresponding to the operation surface of the touch panel 11 has an origin P1 (0, 0) at the upper left as shown in FIG. 8, for example, with an x-axis going to the right and a y-coordinate going down in FIG. When configured, the coordinate detection unit 13 detects the value of (x, y) coordinates corresponding to the distance between the detection position of the input means and the origin.

  The motion control unit 14 assigns a motion to each of the detected input means based on the determination result of the approach / contact determination unit 12 and the detection result of the coordinate detection unit 13. The operation control unit 14 executes the assigned operation when an input operation by the input unit is detected, that is, when a contact state is detected. The specific operation of the operation control unit 14 will be described in detail later.

  The operation storage unit 15 is configured by a storage device such as a read-only memory (ROM) or a nonvolatile memory, for example, and holds information representing an operation to be assigned to each input unit such as a finger. For example, information as shown in FIG. 6 is stored in the operation storage unit 15 in advance.

  The proximity coordinate storage unit 16 is configured by a memory (RAM) in which data can be written and read out, and temporarily stores information representing the coordinates of each input unit brought into a proximity state under the control of the operation control unit 14. Hold. The proximity state is a state (hover state) that is relatively close to a predetermined distance from the operation surface of the touch panel 11.

  The orientation detection unit 17 detects in which orientation the surface of the display unit 10 or the touch panel 11 is used. For example, an acceleration sensor or the like is used to detect the side closest to the ground (low) among the four sides at the peripheral edge of the operation surface of the touch panel 11 or close to the body of the user who actually uses the input device 100. Detect edges. Thereby, the relative positional relationship between the user and the input device 100 can be grasped.

  The display control unit 18 displays information required by the user, for example, images, graphics, characters, and the like on the screen of the display unit 10 as necessary. Further, guidance information such as characters useful for user operations is displayed on the screen of the display unit 10 according to the state of the operation control unit 14.

  Next, examples of the operation surface of the touch panel 11 and the state of the user's hand in the input device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 are illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9. Moreover, the area | region of each finger | toe on 11 A of coordinate planes detected in the state shown in FIG. 7 is shown by FIG.

  In the state shown in FIG. 7, the user's hand 20 is disposed at a position relatively close to the operation surface of the touch panel 11, and fingers other than the thumb 20a among the thumb 20a, the index finger 20b, the middle finger 20c, the ring finger 20d, and the little finger 20e are placed. The case where it will be in a proximity | contact state with respect to an operation surface is assumed.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the fingers in the proximity state are respectively detected in the areas A1, A2, A3, and A4 corresponding to the positions of the index finger 20b, the middle finger 20c, the ring finger 20d, and the little finger 20e in FIG. Then, the motion control unit 14 assigns numbers to the fingers in the areas A1, A2, A3, and A4 according to the arrangement order. In the example shown in FIG. 8, “finger 1”, “finger 2”, “finger 3”, “finger 1”, “finger 3”, The number “Finger 4” is assigned.

  In FIG. 9, it is assumed that the user further moves only the middle finger 20 c from the state illustrated in FIG. 7 and brings the middle finger 20 c into contact with the operation surface of the touch panel 11. That is, the user is about to perform some operation with the middle finger 20c. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, four finger areas A1, A2, A3, and A4 are detected, respectively, and “finger 2” is assigned as a finger number to the contacting middle finger 20c.

  The motion control unit 14 executes the motion assigned to “finger 2” by detecting the contact of the middle finger 20c. The motion assigned to “finger 2” is determined by the information stored in the motion storage unit 15. For example, when the table shown in FIG. 6 is used, the operation control unit 14 executes an operation associated with the second finger number (FN2).

  Next, an outline of main operations of the input apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. An input control program for performing this operation is stored in the ROM in the input device 100 and is executed by the CPU in the input device 100.

  In step S <b> 11, the motion control unit 14 monitors the state of the approach / contact determination unit 12 and identifies the presence / absence of the finger in the proximity state and the presence / absence of the finger in the contact state. If a proximity or contact finger is detected, the process proceeds to the next step S12. Basically, the proximity state is detected before the approach state is detected.

  In step S12, the coordinate detection unit 13 detects the position coordinates (x, y) of the corresponding region for each of the proximity finger and the contact finger detected by the approach / contact determination unit 12. Further, the motion control unit 14 stores the detected position coordinate information of each finger in the proximity coordinate storage unit 16.

  In step S <b> 13, the motion control unit 14 assigns finger numbers to all fingers currently detected by the approach / contact determination unit 12. For example, the x coordinate values are arranged in ascending order and numbers are assigned in order. Specific operations will be described later.

  In step S <b> 14, the operation control unit 14 controls the display control unit 18 to display guidance information (guidance) regarding available finger operations on the screen of the display unit 10. That is, information such as characters indicating what action is performed when each finger in the proximity state is brought into contact is displayed based on the finger number and the contents of the action storage unit 15.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed that two fingers, the index finger 20b and the middle finger 20c, are close to the operation surface. In this case, the “enlargement” guidance G1 is displayed near the index finger 20b, and the “detailed information” guidance G2 is displayed near the middle finger 20c. In this example, the action assigned to the first finger number (finger 1) is “enlargement”, and the action assigned to the second finger number (finger 2) is “detailed information (display)”.

  Note that the guidance G2 may be displayed, for example, above the finger, avoiding the position coordinates (x, y) of the finger so that the guidance G2 is not hidden by the finger. Further, whether to display the guidance may be selectable by user setting. As a result, necessary information is given to beginners, and guidance is displayed as needed without giving unnecessary presentation to skilled users, thereby improving usability.

  In step S <b> 15, the motion control unit 14 identifies whether or not there is a contact finger among the plurality of detected fingers. If there is no finger touched, the process returns to step S11, and if there is a finger touched, the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S <b> 16, the motion control unit 14 finally determines a motion assigned to each detected finger, and accepts a motion corresponding to the operation of the touching finger as an input operation.

  In step S <b> 17, the motion control unit 14 selects specific content corresponding to the position coordinate of the finger where contact is detected from among various content (not shown) displayed on the screen of the display unit 10. To do.

  In step S18, the operation control unit 14 executes processing related to the content selected in step S17 in accordance with the input operation received in step S16. For example, various information is displayed on a screen, for example.

  Since the operations in steps S11 to S15 shown in FIG. 2 are repeatedly performed, the finger detected as the proximity state or the contact state sequentially changes according to the user's hand and the operation state of each finger. Therefore, the number of fingers that are actually detected as the proximity state reflects the position of the hand according to the user's will. That is, the user can operate with only one finger, and can use two to five fingers as needed. Further, if the number of detected fingers changes, the operation assigned to each finger is also changed sequentially.

  Next, a detailed operation corresponding to step S13 in FIG. 2 is shown in FIG.

  In step S <b> 21, the operation control unit 14 monitors the electrical signal output from the orientation detection unit 17 and identifies whether the orientation of the touch panel 11 is detected. If the direction is detected, the next step S22 is executed.

  In step S <b> 22, the operation control unit 14 performs processing according to the detected orientation of the touch panel 11. For example, when the user is using the input device 100 in a portrait orientation as shown in FIG. 8, the position is detected by the x and y coordinates with the upper left corner of the touch panel 11 as the origin P1. On the other hand, when used in a landscape orientation, since the origin P1 is the lower left end or the upper right end, the relationship between the direction of the x and y axes and the alignment direction of the user's hand 20 and each finger changes. .

  Accordingly, for example, when the touch panel 11 is used in a portrait orientation, when the operation control unit 14 is used in a landscape orientation, the origin P1 is viewed from the user as in the portrait orientation. Coordinate conversion is performed so that the upper left corner is located. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the relationship between the arrangement direction of a plurality of fingers and the x and y axis directions from changing. Alternatively, when specifying the arrangement order of a plurality of finger areas (A1 to A4, etc.), the y coordinate is referred to instead of the x coordinate, or the order of the x and y coordinate values from the finger with the largest value toward the smaller finger You may make it number. When the touch panel 11 is used in a reference state such as a portrait orientation, coordinate conversion is not performed, and the arrangement order of a plurality of fingers is specified under predetermined conditions.

  In step S <b> 23, the motion control unit 14 identifies whether there are a plurality of proximity fingers (including contact fingers) currently detected by the approach / contact determination unit 12. If a plurality of fingers are detected, the process proceeds to step S26.

  In step S25, when there are not a plurality of fingers being detected in step S23, the motion control unit 14 assigns an initial value of the finger number to the finger being detected. For example, the finger numbers “finger 1”, “finger 2”, “finger 3”, “finger 4”,..., And finger numbers FN1, FN2, FN3,. Thus, when the initial minimum value is “1”, the finger number “finger 1 (FN1)” is assigned.

  In step S26, when there are a plurality of fingers being detected in step S23, the motion control unit 14 determines the coordinate detection unit 13 for all the proximity fingers (including the finger in contact state) that are currently detected. The position coordinates of the fingers detected by are arranged in the order of decreasing x-coordinate values, and finger numbers are assigned to these fingers in order.

  For example, when four fingers (20b, 20c, 20d, 20e) are in proximity as shown in FIG. 7, the index finger 20b, as shown in FIG. The middle finger 20c, the ring finger 20d, and the little finger 20e are arranged in this order. Therefore, in this case, in the ascending order in the x-axis direction, “finger 1” is assigned to the index finger 20b, “finger 2” to the middle finger 20c, “finger 3” to the ring finger 20d, and “finger 4” to the little finger 20e.

  In step S <b> 27, the motion control unit 14 calculates the difference Δy between the y-coordinate values of adjacent fingers with respect to all of the currently detected proximity fingers (including the finger in contact state) or only the end portions. These are compared with a predetermined threshold value.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when all five fingers 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, and 20e of the right hand are in proximity to the operation surface of the touch panel 11, as shown in FIG. , 20c, 20d, and 20e are detected. Here, as shown in FIG. 12, the y-coordinates of the respective positions in the areas A2 to A5 are almost aligned with little difference, but only the y-coordinate of the area A1 of the thumb 20a is largely shifted.

  Therefore, in step S27, in order to specify the thumb among the plurality of fingers, the difference Δy between the y coordinates of the regions A1-A2, A2-A3, A3-A4, A4-A5 in FIG. Is compared with a predetermined threshold.

  In step S28, based on the comparison result in step S27, the motion control unit 14 identifies whether Δy of the end finger is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, that is, whether the left end or right end finger is a thumb.

  In step S29, when the motion control unit 14 detects the thumb in step S28, the finger of the corresponding end is recognized as the thumb 20a.

  In step S30, the motion control unit 14 assigns a special finger number to the detected thumb 20a. For example, finger number 0 “finger 0: FN0” that can be assigned only to the thumb is prepared and assigned to the corresponding finger.

  In step S31, the motion control unit 14 identifies the right hand / left hand based on the arrangement order (positional relationship) between the thumb 20a detected in step S29 and the other fingers. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, when an area A1 having a large y-coordinate difference Δy is on the left end side and another finger is present at a position where the x-coordinate is larger than A1, it is recognized as the right hand. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, when a region A5 having a large y coordinate difference Δy is on the right end side and another finger is present at a position where the x coordinate is smaller than A5, it is recognized as a left hand.

  Next, FIG. 4 shows a first example of detailed operation corresponding to step S16 of FIG.

  In step S41, the motion control unit 14 identifies whether or not the thumb 20a has been detected. For example, when the process shown in FIG. 3 is executed, it is identified whether there is a finger assigned the special finger number “finger 0”. If the thumb has been detected, the process proceeds to step S42. If the thumb has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S45. For example, if the state is as shown in FIG. 12, the process proceeds to step S42, and if the state is as shown in FIG. 8, the process proceeds to step S45.

  In step S42, the motion control unit 14 assigns a special motion for the thumb 20a to the specific finger numbered by the thumb 20a. That is, since it is generally considered that the thumb 20a is used less frequently than other fingers, a predetermined action (such as a deletion process) having a lower priority (less frequently used) than the other fingers is used. Assign to.

  In step S43, the motion control unit 14 identifies whether the right hand / left hand classification of the hand currently used by the user has been detected. If detected, the process proceeds to step S44. Proceed to S45.

  In step S44, the motion control unit 14 sequentially performs each motion (for example, the motion illustrated in FIG. 6) on each finger other than the thumb 20a according to the order of the fingers according to the classification of the right hand / left hand. Assign to.

  For example, in the state where the right hand is used as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the finger numbers “finger 1”, “finger 2”, “finger 3”, “finger 4” assigned in S26 in ascending order of the x-coordinate values. And the order of the index finger 20b, the middle finger 20c, the ring finger 20d, and the little finger 20e, which are used in the order of frequency of use, coincide with each other. Therefore, in this case, the operation of the finger number is assigned as it is. That is, the motion of the finger number “finger 1” is assigned to the first finger 20b from the left, the motion of “finger 2” is assigned to the second finger 20c from the left, and “finger 3” is assigned to the third finger 20d from the left. And the fourth finger from the left (the operation of “finger 4” is assigned to 20e.

  On the other hand, when the user uses the left hand as shown in FIG. 13, the arrangement order of the finger numbers “finger 1”, “finger 2”, “finger 3”, “finger 4” allocated in S26 is x. The coordinate values are in descending order. Therefore, in this case, as shown in FIG. 13, the finger number is changed and an operation is assigned to each finger. That is, the motion of the finger number “finger 1” is assigned to the finger 20b of the first coordinate x1 from the right, the motion of “finger 2” is assigned to the finger 20c of the second coordinate x2 from the right, and the third coordinate from the right The motion of “finger 3” is assigned to the finger 3d of x3, and the motion of “finger 4” is assigned to the finger 20e of the fourth coordinate x4 from the right.

  Since the right hand / left hand cannot be distinguished in step S45, the motion control unit 14 does not rearrange the finger numbers. For example, the finger numbers “finger 1” and “finger 2” assigned in step S26 of FIG. According to “finger 3” and “finger 4”, an operation (for example, the operation shown in FIG. 6) is assigned to each finger in order.

  Next, a second example of detailed operation corresponding to step S16 in FIG. 2 is shown in FIG.

  Depending on the type of the touch panel 11, when detecting the proximity / contact state of a finger by detecting capacitance on the operation surface of the touch panel 11, the coordinates of each finger in the proximity state other than the finger touched at the time of finger contact are determined. Some of them cannot be detected. In this case, the process shown in FIG. 5 is adopted.

  In step S51, the motion control unit 14 identifies whether or not the proximity coordinates cannot be detected. For example, when the contact of a finger is detected, when the proximity finger that has been detected so far cannot be detected, or when the number of detected fingers decreases, the proximity coordinate is The process proceeds to the next step S52 on the assumption that it cannot be detected. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S54.

  In step S52, the motion control unit 14 reads the coordinates (proximity coordinates) of each finger in the proximity state detected immediately before (contact with the finger) from the proximity coordinate storage unit 16, and all of the proximity state and the contact state are read. Know the finger coordinate position.

  In step S53, the operation control unit 14 executes the “finger number assignment process” in FIG. 3 again. That is, based on the coordinates of each finger read from the proximity coordinate storage unit 16, finger numbers are assigned to all fingers in the proximity state and the contact state.

  In step S54, the motion control unit 14 identifies whether or not the thumb 20a has been detected. For example, when the process shown in FIG. 3 is executed, it is identified whether or not the finger assigned with the special finger number “finger 0” is being detected. If the thumb has been detected, the process proceeds to step S55. If the thumb has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S58.

  In step S55, the motion control unit 14 assigns a special motion for the thumb 20a to the specific finger numbered by the thumb 20a. That is, since the thumb 20a is generally considered to be less frequently used than other fingers, a predetermined action having a lower priority (less frequently used) than the other fingers is assigned to the thumb.

  In step S56, the motion control unit 14 identifies whether or not the right hand / left hand classification of the hand currently used by the user has been detected. If detected, the process proceeds to step S57. Proceed to S58.

  In step S57, as in step S44 of FIG. 4, the motion control unit 14 performs each operation (for example, FIG. 5) on each finger other than the thumb 20a according to the order of fingers according to the classification of the right hand / left hand. 6) are assigned in order.

  Since the right hand / left hand cannot be distinguished in step S58, the finger numbers are not rearranged. For example, the finger numbers “finger 1”, “finger 2”, “finger 3” assigned in step S26 of FIG. According to “finger 4”, an operation (for example, the operation shown in FIG. 6) is assigned to each finger in order.

  According to the processing in FIG. 5, it is possible to assign an operation to a plurality of fingers and execute the operation regardless of the type of the touch panel 11.

  Next, FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of a table indicating the correspondence between the situation, the finger number, and the action. This table is arranged on the operation storage unit 15 shown in FIG.

  The operation control unit 14 refers to the table having the configuration illustrated in FIG. 6 in each of the above-described steps S44, S45, S57, and S58, so that each of the user's hands can be determined according to the current situation of the input device 100. The operation assigned to the finger can be switched.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the situation C <b> 1 is substantially coincident with the coordinates of the icon of the corresponding image when the input device 100 starts a specific application program that displays an image list. Corresponds to the case. In the situation C2, when the input device 100 is running the e-mail application program, the coordinates of the finger in the contact state substantially coincide with the coordinates of the mail icon displayed in the mail list or one item in the list. Equivalent to. The situation C3 corresponds to the case where the coordinates of the finger in the contact state substantially coincide with the coordinates of an arbitrary place in the camera preview when the input apparatus 100 is running the camera application program.

  For example, in the case of the situation C1, the operation “enlarged display of selected image” is assigned to the finger corresponding to the finger number “finger 1 (FN1)”. Further, an operation of “display detailed information of selected image” is assigned to the finger corresponding to the finger number “finger 2 (FN2)”. In addition, an operation of “launch mailer application and attach selected image to mail” is assigned to the finger corresponding to finger number “finger 3 (FN3)”.

  Further, in the case of the situation C2, the operation of “display text of mail” is assigned to the finger corresponding to the finger number “finger 1 (FN1)”. In addition, the “reply to mail” operation is assigned to the finger corresponding to the finger number “finger 2 (FN2)”. In addition, an operation of “forward mail” is assigned to the finger corresponding to the finger number “finger 3 (FN3)”.

  When the situation corresponds to the situation C3, an operation of “photograph with the focus on the contact location” is assigned to the finger corresponding to the finger number “finger 1 (FN1)”. In addition, an operation of “focus on the contact location and lock the focus” is assigned to the finger corresponding to the finger number “finger 2 (FN2)”.

  Note that the contents of the table shown in FIG. 6 are determined in advance in association with the finger number and the situation and are not only stored in advance in the operation storage unit 15 but also can be rewritten by an input operation. Good. Thereby, the efficiency of input operation can be improved more by changing the operation | movement allocated to each finger according to a user's liking and environment.

  As described above, the input device (for example, the input device 100) of the present embodiment is detected by the input detection unit (for example, the touch panel 11) that detects the proximity and contact of a plurality of input units with respect to a predetermined coordinate area, and the input detection unit. A coordinate detection unit (for example, coordinate detection unit 13) that detects the proximity coordinate that is the coordinate at the time of proximity and the contact coordinate that is the coordinate at the time of contact detected by the input detection unit, and each coordinate detected by the coordinate detection unit. Based on the motion allocation unit (for example, the motion control unit 14) that assigns each motion to each input unit that is close to or touches each coordinate, and the input unit that touches the contact coordinate detected by the coordinate detection unit An operation execution unit (for example, the operation control unit 14) that executes the operation allocated by the allocation unit.

  Thereby, the operation | movement performed by the difference of the finger to operate can be switched, for example using the several finger | toe of a user's hand. In addition, since a motion is assigned to each finger, the user can grasp the relationship between each finger and the motion to be performed before the operation. In addition, as with a general touch panel operation, the assigned operation is executed only by a simple touch operation, so that it is easy to learn the operation method. In addition, since the number of actions that can be executed can be changed according to the number of fingers that are actually approaching or touching, the versatility is high.

  In addition, the input device may include a display unit (for example, the display unit 10) that displays information on operations assigned by the operation assigning unit.

  As a result, the user can know in advance what kind of operation will be performed when each finger is operated and touched, and even if the user is not familiar with the operation, it can be easily operated. .

  In addition, the input device has other coordinates (for example, coordinates of areas A2 to A5 in FIG. 12) other than the first coordinates (for example, coordinates of area A1 in FIG. 12) detected by the coordinate detection unit in the first direction. An input unit determination unit (for example, the operation control unit 14) that determines that the input unit that is close to or in contact with the first coordinate is the thumb (for example, the thumb 20a) when substantially aligned in the (for example, the x direction in FIG. 12). May be provided. In addition, when the input means determination unit determines that the action is a thumb, the action assignment unit has a lower priority than the action assigned to the input means that is close to or in contact with other coordinates with respect to the thumb ( For example, an operation such as deletion may be assigned.

  Accordingly, since the user can also use the thumb, the number of usable fingers is increased, and various types of movements can be selectively used depending on the finger. Furthermore, since an operation that is not frequently used is assigned to the thumb, an efficient input operation can be performed.

  In addition, the input device has other coordinates (for example, coordinates of areas A2 to A5 in FIG. 12) other than the first coordinates (for example, coordinates of area A1 in FIG. 12) detected by the coordinate detection unit in the first direction. In the case of being substantially aligned (for example, in the x direction in FIG. 12), a left / right determination that determines whether each input means is a finger of the left or right hand based on the positional relationship between the first coordinate and the other coordinates. A unit (for example, the operation control unit 14) may be provided. Further, the motion assigning unit may assign each motion to each input means that is close to or touches each coordinate based on whether each input means is a finger of the left or right hand.

  Thus, taking into account the frequency of use of each finger of the user, a high-priority operation (generally the index finger) is assigned a high-priority action, and a low-frequency-use finger (eg little finger) is assigned a priority. Can be assigned, and an efficient input operation becomes possible. Further, the user can use the right hand and the left hand as needed, and even when the right hand and the left hand are switched, the operation assigned to each finger is the same, and thus the operation is easy.

  The input device may include an operation storage unit (for example, the operation storage unit 15) that sequentially stores a plurality of operations. When the left and right determination unit determines that each input means is a finger of the first hand (for example, the right hand), the motion allocating unit determines the order of the coordinates in the first direction (for example, the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit) In the ascending order in the x direction in FIG. 12, each operation stored in the operation storage unit may be assigned to each input unit that approaches or touches each coordinate. In addition, when the left / right determination unit determines that each input unit is the finger of the second hand (for example, the left hand), the motion allocation unit determines the coordinates of the first direction in the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit 13. Each operation stored in the operation storage unit may be assigned to each input unit that is close to or in contact with each coordinate in the reverse order (eg, descending order in the x direction in FIG. 12).

  As a result, even when the user uses both left and right hands, a plurality of types of actions can be assigned to each finger according to the priority order suitable for the user's operation.

  In addition, the input device may include a direction detection unit (for example, a direction detection unit 17) that detects the direction of the input device. The motion allocating unit may allocate each motion to each input unit that is close to or in contact with the coordinates detected by the coordinate detecting unit based on the direction detected by the direction detecting unit.

  As a result, even when the user operates the input device in either the portrait or landscape orientation, the same operation can be assigned to the same finger of the user, and an efficient input operation can be performed.

  The input device may include an operation storage unit (for example, the operation storage unit 15) that sequentially stores a plurality of operations. When the first direction is detected by the direction detection unit (for example, the input device is vertically long), the motion allocation unit is arranged in the order of the coordinates in the first direction in the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit (for example, in FIG. 12). In the order of the x direction, each operation stored in the operation storage unit may be assigned to each input means that is close to or touches each coordinate. In addition, when the second direction orthogonal to the first direction detected by the direction detection unit (for example, the input device is in the landscape orientation) is detected, the motion allocation unit detects the first in the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit. Each operation stored in the operation storage unit may be assigned to each input unit that is close to or in contact with each coordinate in the order of the coordinates in the two directions (for example, the order in the y direction in FIG. 12).

  As a result, even when the user operates the input device in either portrait or landscape orientation, it is possible to assign a plurality of types of actions to each finger according to the priority order suitable for the user's operation.

  Further, the input device may include a proximity coordinate storage unit (for example, the proximity coordinate storage unit 16) that stores information on the proximity coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit. The motion allocating unit may allocate each motion to the input unit that has touched the contact coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit and the input unit that has been close to the close coordinate stored by the close coordinate storage unit.

  As a result, even if the coordinates of other fingers in proximity cannot be detected at the time of finger contact, the coordinates of each necessary finger can be specified, and it is possible to correctly assign an action to each finger. Become.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and can be applied to any configuration that can achieve the functions shown in the claims or the functions of the configuration of the present embodiment. Is possible.

  The present invention also applies a program that supplies an input control program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments to an input device via a network or various storage media, and that is read and executed by a computer (CPU) in the input device. It is a range.

  The present invention enables an input device, an information terminal, an input control method, an input control program, and the like that can execute various types of operations according to a user's input operation and can improve user operability. Useful for.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Display part 11 Touch panel 11A Coordinate surface 12 Approach / contact determination part 13 Coordinate detection part 14 Operation control part 15 Operation | movement storage part 16 Proximity coordinate storage part 17 Orientation detection part 18 Display control part 20 User's hand 20a Thumb 20b Index finger 20c Middle finger 20d Ring finger 20e Little finger 100 Input device C1, C2, C3 Situation G1, G2 Guidance information FN1, FN2, FN3 Finger number

Claims (11)

An input detection unit for detecting the proximity and contact of a plurality of input means with respect to a predetermined coordinate area;
A coordinate detection unit that detects proximity coordinates that are coordinates at the time of proximity detected by the input detection unit and contact coordinates that are coordinates at the time of contact detected by the input detection unit;
Based on each coordinate detected by the coordinate detection unit, an operation allocating unit that allocates each operation to each input means that approaches or touches each coordinate;
An operation execution unit that executes an operation assigned by the operation assigning unit to an input unit that has touched the contact coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit;
An input device comprising: The input device according to claim 1, further comprising:
An input device comprising a display unit for displaying information on an operation assigned by the operation assigning unit. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising:
When other coordinates other than the first coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit are substantially aligned in the first direction, an input for determining that the input means that is close to or in contact with the first coordinates is the thumb. A means determination unit,
The motion allocating unit has a lower priority than the operation allocated to the input unit that is close to or in contact with the other coordinates when the input unit determining unit determines that the thumb is the thumb. An input device that assigns actions. The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:
When other coordinates other than the first coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit are substantially aligned in the first direction, each input is performed based on the positional relationship between the first coordinates and the other coordinates. A left / right determination unit for determining whether the means is a finger on the left or right hand;
The motion allocation unit is an input device that allocates each motion to each input unit that is in proximity to or in contact with each coordinate based on whether each input unit is a finger of the left or right hand. The input device according to claim 4, further comprising:
An operation storage unit that sequentially stores a plurality of operations,
When the input / output determining unit determines that each input means is a finger of the first hand by the left / right determining unit, the motion allocating unit is arranged in the order of the coordinates in the first direction in the coordinates detected by the coordinate detecting unit. When each operation stored in the operation storage unit is assigned to each input unit that is close to or in contact with the coordinates, and the left and right determination unit determines that each input unit is a finger of the second hand, the coordinates An input device that assigns each operation stored in the operation storage unit to each input unit that is close to or in contact with each coordinate in the reverse order of the coordinate in the first direction in the coordinates detected by the detection unit. The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising:
An orientation detection unit for detecting the orientation of the input device;
The operation assigning unit is an input device that assigns each operation to each input unit that is close to or in contact with the coordinates detected by the coordinate detecting unit based on the direction detected by the direction detecting unit. The input device according to claim 6, further comprising:
An operation storage unit that sequentially stores a plurality of operations,
When the first direction is detected by the direction detection unit, the motion allocating unit is configured to input each of the coordinates approaching or touching each coordinate in the order of the coordinates in the first direction in the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit. When each movement stored in the movement storage unit is assigned to the means and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction detected by the direction detection unit is detected, the movement is detected by the coordinate detection unit. An input device that assigns each operation stored in the operation storage unit to each input means that approaches or touches each coordinate in the order of the coordinates in the second direction in the coordinates. The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:
A proximity coordinate storage unit that stores information of the proximity coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit;
The motion allocating unit is an input device that allocates each motion to an input unit that is in contact with the contact coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit and an input unit that is close to the proximity coordinates stored in the proximity coordinate storage unit. .   An information terminal comprising the input device according to claim 1. Detecting proximity and contact of a plurality of input means with respect to a predetermined coordinate area;
Detecting proximity coordinates that are the detected proximity coordinates and contact coordinates that are the detected contact coordinates;
Assigning each action to each input means in proximity to or in contact with each coordinate based on each detected coordinate;
Performing the assigned action on the input means that has touched the detected contact coordinates;
An input control method comprising:   An input control program for causing a computer to execute each step of the input control method according to claim 10.

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