JP5524937B2 - Input device including touchpad and portable computer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for improving the operability of a touch pad, and more particularly to a technique for complementing a swipe range restriction in a touch pad.

  In addition to a keyboard as an input device, a computer is equipped with a pointing device for realizing a GUI. There is a mouse with a left button, a wheel, and a right button as a typical pointing device. A mouse can move a cursor or a mouse pointer (hereinafter simply referred to as a pointer) displayed on a display by moving a main body independent of a computer on a desk.

  Click the left mouse button once or twice in succession to select the object pointed to by the pointer, run a program associated with the object, or open a file or folder associated with the object Can do. You can also move the selected object on the display or select a pop-up menu item by moving the pointer while the pointer is selecting the object by pressing the left button and then releasing the left button at the destination. Drag and drop operations can be performed. Since the mouse requires a predetermined space for operation, it is inconvenient to use it on a moving notebook type portable computer (hereinafter referred to as a notebook PC). In the notebook PC, the mounting space for the pointing device is limited, and thus specific hardware is mounted to realize the function of the mouse.

  Some notebook PCs implement a pointing stick and mechanical button pair as a pointing device. The pointing stick is called a track point (TrackPoint is a registered trademark), a stick point, or a track stick by a computer manufacturer. The pointing stick is placed between the keys on the keyboard and moves the pointer in the direction in which the force is applied. The mechanical buttons used in combination with the pointing stick are composed of a left button, a center button, and a right button corresponding to the left button, wheel, and right button of the mouse, respectively. Arranged on the user side). A mechanical button provided on the notebook PC so as to correspond to each button of the mouse is referred to as a mouse button.

  Another type of notebook PC implements a touchpad and mouse button pair as a pointing device. The touchpad traces (swipes) the surface and outputs coordinates corresponding to the trajectory of the finger, moves the pointer, and the mouse buttons placed on the front side of the touchpad correspond to the left and right mouse buttons. do. The pointing stick can be operated without releasing your finger from the home position of the keyboard, and the touchpad has unique features such as handwriting input and gesture input. Some have two types of pointing devices: sticks and touchpads.

  The touchpad does not need to move the device itself like a mouse, so it has the advantage that it can be operated in a limited space, but it is necessary to move the pointer over a wide display range with a finger swiping a narrow operation surface is there. The moving distance of the pointer with respect to the swipe length can be adjusted by setting the gain of the coordinate processing circuit. However, if the gain is increased, the pointer cannot be finely positioned, and therefore there is a restriction on the magnitude of the gain.

  And since the area of the touchpad is much smaller than the size of the display, one swipe is usually not enough when moving the pointer a long distance. At this time, when the swipe finger reaches the end of the touch pad, the user needs to remove the finger from the touch pad and swipe again in the same direction. The number of swipes is further increased in multi-displays and high-resolution displays with long pointer movement distances. In addition, since it is necessary to lift the finger from the surface of the touchpad, it is inconvenient that it is impossible to perform a drag and drop operation that resets the movement of the pointer to that point when the finger is released. There is.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for moving a pointer without repeatedly swiping a touch pad. An annular convex portion that can be recognized by the sense of touch of the finger is formed around the touch pad, and a switch that outputs a different signal depending on the pressed position of the finger is disposed on the outside. In order to continue the movement of the pointer even after the user's finger tracing the touch pad is removed from the surface of the touch pad, the user recognizes the annular protrusion and then moves the finger further outward to press the switch. The movement direction of the pointer is determined by a signal output from the switch.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for removing a plurality of finger stroke operations from a touch pad. The touch pad is divided into an inner zone and a surrounding outer zone. When it is detected that the finger to be swiped enters the external zone, the pointer moves at a constant speed in a direction determined by the coordinates of the finger at that time and the coordinates of the center of the touchpad. Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for improving operability when dragging and dropping with a touchpad.

  The surface of the touch pad is divided into a central area and eight peripheral areas defined around the center area. The movement direction of the pointer is defined in the peripheral area. When the finger is in the central area, the pointer moves in the normal way, but when the finger enters the peripheral area, the pointer moves in the defined direction. Patent Document 3 describes that when dragging and dropping, a pointer is positioned at a predetermined position and tapping is performed to shift to a drag mode.

Japanese Patent No. 2871597 Japanese Patent No. 3764171 Japanese Patent No. 3909230

  In the invention of Patent Document 1, the pressed switch determines the movement direction of the pointer, and the direction in which the user wants to move the pointer may not match the movement direction of the pointer determined by the switch. Further, after the switch is operated, the moving speed and moving direction of the pointer cannot be adjusted, so that swiping is necessary again to position the pointer at the target position.

  In the invention of Patent Document 2, since the movement direction and movement speed of the pointer when the finger is in the external zone are determined by the center coordinates of the touchpad and the current coordinates, the user's operation intention is accurately determined by the movement of the pointer. May not be reflected. In the invention of Patent Document 3, since the pointer moves only in the direction defined in the peripheral area, re-operation in the central area is necessary to move the pointer to the target position. In the inventions of Patent Documents 2 and 3, the peripheral portion of the touch pad is used for the movement of the pointer other than the swipe, and the swipeable area of the touch pad is reduced. Since the area of the touch pad mounted on the small notebook PC needs to be further reduced, the above problem becomes more remarkable.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an input device with improved operability of the touchpad. A further object of the present invention is to provide an input device that can move a pointer for a long distance without repeating swipes on the touchpad. Furthermore, the objective of this invention is providing the input device which implement | achieves size reduction of a touchpad. Another object of the present invention is to provide an input device that can accurately position a pointer at a target position in a short time. Furthermore, the objective of this invention is providing the input device which can prevent the erroneous input with respect to a touchpad. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable computer equipped with such an input device and a method for moving a pointer in such an input device.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the pointer is first moved by swiping the touch pad. The pressure detection device detects that the swiped finger has reached the limit of the operation area of the touchpad. After the swipe finger reaches the limit, the pointer is further moved by operating the pressure detecting device with the swipe finger. With such a configuration, the pointer can be moved a long distance without repeating swiping on the touch pad, and drag and drop can also be realized without additional operations. Further, even if the area of the operation area of the touchpad is reduced, the operability is not impaired.

  When the finger moves from swipe to operation of the pressure detection device, it is desirable to be able to recognize that the finger touches the pressure detection device not by sight but by the tactile sensation of the finger so as not to shift the line of sight from the display. In the present invention, a physical characteristic structure for recognizing by touch that a finger has touched the pressure detection device can be provided around the pressure detection device. The physical feature structure can be realized by a step, a protrusion, or a textured process.

  It is possible to control the moving speed of the pointer by changing the pressing pressure with a swipe finger, or to control the moving direction of the pointer by changing the pressing position. Therefore, it is possible to accurately position the pointer in the target position in a short time by changing the moving direction of the pointer, increasing or decreasing the moving speed, or executing them simultaneously even after one swipe cannot be performed. it can. When shifting from the movement of the pointer by swipe to the movement of the pointer by the operation of the pressure detection device, it is necessary to perform the control so that the user does not feel uncomfortable in operation. It is desirable to carry out after a stable pressure is applied to the pressure detection device.

  For this reason, after the swipe is completed, the movement speed and movement direction of the pointer immediately before the finger detection can be maintained in response to the pressure detection device detecting the finger contact. The movement speed and direction immediately before the end of the swipe reflect the user's intention to position the pointer at the target position, so that it can be easily positioned at the target position in subsequent operations, and there is a sense of incongruity in operation. You can eliminate cuddling.

  The touch pad may detect an erroneous input due to an accidental hand touch while operating the keyboard. To prevent this, if the pressure sensing device detects a hand contact before the touch pad is swiped, invalidate the input to the touch pad while the pressure sensing device detects a hand contact. Can do. In the second aspect of the present invention, after the swipe finger reaches the limit of the operation area, when the pressure detecting device detects the finger that has finished swiping, the movement speed and movement of the pointer immediately before the finger detection is detected. Keep the direction and move the pointer further.

  According to the present invention, an input device with improved touchpad operability can be provided. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an input device that can move the pointer for a long distance without repeating swipes on the touch pad. Furthermore, according to the present invention, an input device that realizes downsizing of the touch pad can be provided. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an input device that can accurately position the pointer at the target position in a short time. Furthermore, according to the present invention, an input device capable of preventing erroneous input to the touch pad can be provided. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a portable computer equipped with such an input device and a method of moving a pointer in such an input device.

It is a perspective view which shows the external shape of the notebook PC which mounted the touchpad. 2 is a plan view of a system housing 13 and a sectional view of the vicinity of a touch pad 21. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of an input system 200. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an out-of-range sensor 100. It is a figure which shows the locus | trajectory of the matrix coordinate on the touchpad 21, and the movement state of the pointer 203 on the display 15 which a finger | toe passes when swiping. 3 is a flowchart showing an overall operation procedure of the input system 200. It is a figure which shows the voltage characteristic of the pressure sensor 101 which the A / D conversion circuit 155 produces | generates when the outside sensor 100 is pushed along the coordinate axis S with fixed pressing pressure ps. It is a figure which shows the voltage characteristic of the pressure sensor 101 which the A / D conversion circuit 155 produces | generates, respectively, when the outside sensor 100 is pressed by fixed pressing pressure ph and pl (ph> ps, pl <ps). It is a figure which shows the mode of the difference data produced | generated at the timing of a sampling period in the last mode and operation mode. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 in operation mode. It is a figure explaining the method the outside coordinate circuit 157 calculates the coordinate of the finger | toe after a shift.

[Mounting mode of touchpad notebook PC]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outer shape of a notebook PC 10 on which a touch pad is mounted. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the system housing 13 and a cross-sectional view showing an AA cross section. The notebook PC 10 includes a display housing 11 and a system housing 13 that are hinged so as to be opened and closed. The display housing 11 houses the display 15. The system housing 13 accommodates system devices such as a processor, main memory, and hard disk drive inside, and a keyboard 19 is mounted on the top surface. The hard disk drive stores a device driver for processing a mouse signal generated by the pointing stick 25, the touch pad 21 or the mouse button 23, an OS, an application program, and the like.

  The keyboard 19 includes a plurality of keys including a space key 27, and a pointing stick 25 disposed between the G key, the H key, and the B key. The pointing stick 25 converts a change in resistance value when a force is applied to a strain sensor that detects the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction into a mouse signal and sends it to the system. The system moves the pointer displayed on the display 15 based on the mouse signal received from the pointing stick 25. The system recognizes the pointer displayed on the display 15 and the coordinates of the object, and performs processing according to the object and mouse signal indicated when a predetermined mouse button 23 is pressed at the position indicated by the pointer.

  The key arrangement of the keyboard 19 and the number of keys are not particularly limited in the present invention. A palm rest 17 on which a palm is placed when operating the keyboard 19 is provided on the front side of the keyboard 19. The entire palm rest 17 is formed flat, but includes an inclined portion 17 a that descends toward the keyboard 19 between the palm rest 17 and the keyboard 19. The inclined portion 17a has a role of ensuring a range of movement of the thumb when operating the keys so that the bottom row of keys arranged on the front side of the keyboard unit 19 can be smoothly operated without pressing the thumb when pressing with the thumb. Fulfill.

  A mouse button 23 is arranged on the front side of the space key 27. The mouse button 23 is intended to be used together with the pointer moving function of the pointing stick 25 or the touch pad 21, and is composed of a left button, a center button, and a right button to which known functions are given. A touch pad 21 is arranged on the front side of the mouse button 23. The touch pad 21 outputs a mouse signal that moves the pointer independently of the pointing stick 25.

  The pointing stick 25 is described for the purpose of explaining an embodiment used in combination with the touch pad 21, and the present invention can also be applied to a notebook PC that does not include the pointing stick 25. The touch pad 21 is arranged at a substantially central position of the keyboard 19 in order to prevent an unintentional movement of the pointer due to a user's hand accidentally touching while operating the keyboard 19 with both hands in the home position. Is placed in front of the space key 27. The touch pad 21 includes a touch sensor that operates by a capacitance type, a resistance film type, an electromagnetic induction type, or the like, and outputs a finger position on the operation surface 22 as matrix coordinates.

  The periphery of the touch pad 21 is surrounded by a palm rest 17. When operating the keyboard 19, the palm initially placed at a position away from the touch pad 101 on the palm rest 17 comes to the center while operating the pointing stick 25 or the keyboard 19 and touches the touch pad 21. May cause unintended pointer movement. As will be described later, the present invention also provides a method for preventing such erroneous input to the touchpad.

Around the touch pad 21, an out-of-range sensor 100 that is operated with a swipe finger is disposed. The out-of-range sensor 100 is operated by the user in order to shift to the out-of-range operation mode and control the movement of the pointer in the out-of-range operation mode as will be described later. The out-of-range operation mode includes a previous mode and an operation mode. In the direct mode, the out-of-range sensor 100 can be selected from a pressure sensor, an electrostatic sensor, an infrared sensor, or a mechanical switch.

  Moreover, the area | region defined in the peripheral part of the touchpad 21 can also be utilized as an out-of-range sensor. In the operation mode, a pressure sensor can be used as the out-of-range sensor 100. The touch pad 21 has a flat operation surface 22 for swiping a finger. A step 50 is formed between the operation surface 22 and the surface of the palm rest 17 surrounding it. The out-of-range sensor 100 is disposed on the palm rest 17 in the vicinity of the step 50.

  The step 50 is a physical structure for allowing the user to recognize by tactile sense that the swipe finger reaches the limit of the operation surface 22 and the finger is placed at a position where the out-of-range sensor 100 can be operated. The step 50 allows the user to operate the out-of-range sensor 100 without diverting his line of sight from the display 15. In the case where the surface of the palm rest 17 and the operation surface 22 of the touch pad 21 are arranged on the same plane, the out-of-range sensor 100 is formed in a shape that protrudes from those surfaces, or the surface of the out-of-range sensor 100 is subjected to a graining process. It may be. Further, instead of the step 50, a dot-like projection or a rod-like projection or a groove may be formed around the outside sensor 100.

[Input system]
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the input system 200. Input system 200 includes touchpad 21 and out-of-range sensor 100. The input system 200 further includes A / D conversion circuits 151 and 155, an in-region coordinate circuit 153, an out-of-region coordinate circuit 157, and an operation mode control circuit 163 configured by hardware such as a controller (not shown) and software such as firmware and device drivers. And an output circuit 161.

  The touch pad 21 A / D converts analog signals corresponding to the matrix coordinates of the finger on the operation surface 22 detected by the touch sensor arranged at a position where the vertical scanning line and the horizontal scanning line arranged in a matrix form intersect. Output to the circuit 151. For example, the A / D conversion circuit 151 converts an analog signal into a digital signal at a sampling period of 30 Hz and outputs the digital signal to the in-region coordinate circuit 153.

  The intra-area coordinate circuit 153 outputs a two-dimensional difference vector (Δx, Δy) indicating the difference between the matrix coordinates at the previous sampling and the matrix coordinates at the current sampling to the output circuit 161 for each sampling period. Specifically, when the previous matrix coordinates are (x1, y1) and the current matrix coordinates are (x2, y2), difference data of Δx = x2−x1 and Δy = y2−y1 is output. The difference vector provides information on the moving speed and moving direction of the pointer. The output circuit 161 is a known interface such as PS / 2 or USB that outputs difference data to the pointer position control circuit 181. A state where the intra-region coordinate circuit 153 outputs a difference vector generated by swiping the touch pad 21 is referred to as an intra-region operation mode. Intra-region operation modes are well known. The intra-area coordinate circuit 153 outputs the matrix coordinates and the difference vector detected by the touch pad 21 to the operation mode control circuit 163 every sampling period.

  The out-of-range sensor 100 includes a plurality of pressure sensors 101 arranged linearly as shown in FIG. The A / D conversion circuit 155 converts the resistance value changed by the pressing pressure to each pressure sensor 101 into a voltage, and further converts it into a digital value at the same cycle as the sampling cycle of the A / D conversion circuit 151, thereby converting the out-of-range coordinate circuit. To 157. The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 calculates a pressing pressure and a pressing position of the out-of-range sensor 100 from the pressure data received from the A / D conversion circuit 155, and generates a difference vector including information on the moving speed and moving direction of the pointer. The out-of-area coordinate circuit 157 outputs the generated difference vector to the output circuit 161 and the operation mode control circuit 163 for each sampling period.

  The user operates the out-of-range sensor 100 after the swipe finger reaches the limit position of the operation surface 22 of the touch pad 21. A state where the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 outputs a difference vector is referred to as an out-of-range operation mode. The out-of-range operation mode exists in a state continuous with the in-region operation mode by swiping the touch pad 21. The out-of-range operation mode includes a mode immediately before maintaining the movement direction and movement speed of the pointer in the in-region operation mode immediately before switching from the in-region operation mode to the out-of-region operation mode, and the movement direction and movement of the pointer by the user operating the out-of-range sensor 100. Includes operating mode to control speed.

  The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 outputs a touch signal to the operation mode control circuit 163 when any one of the out-of-range sensors 100 detects a pressure equal to or higher than the threshold value Vth (FIG. 7). The operation mode control circuit 163 stores five matrix coordinates received from the intra-area coordinate circuit 153 by way of FIFO in the buffer as an example. The operation mode control circuit 163 determines whether or not the touch pad 21 is swiped from the difference data received from the intra-area coordinate circuit 153. The operation mode control circuit 163 sets the input system 200 to any one of the intra-region operation mode, the out-of-region operation mode, and the stop mode based on the presence of the swipe determined based on the touch signal and the difference data received from the intra-region coordinate circuit 153. Determine timing.

  The operation mode control circuit 163 controls the output circuit 161 and the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 when switching the operation mode. The operation mode control circuit 163 sets the intra-region operation mode when the input system 200 is in the reset state. The operation mode control circuit 163 performs control so as to shift from the in-region operation mode to the out-of-region operation mode when the touch signal is received from the out-of-region coordinate circuit 159 after receiving the difference vector indicating the swipe from the in-region coordinate circuit 153. The operation mode control circuit 163 performs control so that the intra-region operation mode is set when the intra-region coordinate circuit 153 generates a difference vector indicating a swipe when no touch signal is received.

  The operation mode control circuit 163 performs control so as to shift to the stop mode when a touch signal is received before the swipe occurs. The operation mode control circuit 163 outputs the difference vector generated by the in-region coordinate circuit 153 from the output circuit 161 in the in-region operation mode, and outputs the difference vector generated by the out-of-region coordinate circuit 157 in the out-of-region operation mode, and stops. In the mode, no difference vector is output.

  The pointer position control circuit 181 is a well-known element mainly composed of hardware such as a chip set, main memory, GPU, and CPU, and software such as an OS and a device driver. The pointer position control circuit 181 creates new coordinates by adding the difference vector received from the output circuit 161 to the current coordinates of the pointer displayed on the display 15 for each sampling period, and outputs the new coordinates to the display 15 as image data. The pointer position control circuit 181 does not recognize whether the difference vector received from the output circuit 161 is generated by the in-region coordinate circuit 151 or the out-of-region coordinate circuit 157. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to make changes to the OS and device drivers other than the input system 200.

[Outside sensor]
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the out-of-range sensor 100. As an example, the out-of-range sensor 100 can be configured using an analog input device sold by Shin-Etsu Polymer Co., Ltd. under the trade name “Q-Point”. The out-of-range sensor 100 is arranged in a frame shape so as to surround the periphery of the touch pad 21. The out-of-range sensor 100 includes a plurality of pressure sensors 101 arranged at a pitch of 5 millimeters to 10 millimeters.

  The pressure sensor 101 is disposed on the one-dimensional coordinate axis S on each side of the touch pad 21. The coordinates of each pressure sensor 101 are associated with the matrix coordinates of the touch pad 21. The finger swiped to the end of the touch pad 21 touches the pressing positions S1, S2 and the like of the out-of-range sensor 100 with a predetermined pressing pressure. The operation mode control circuit 163 can specify the position on the coordinate axis S of the pressure sensor that outputs the touch signal from the last matrix coordinate received from the intra-area coordinate circuit 153 at the timing when the touch signal is received from the out-of-area coordinate circuit 157. .

  As an example, every two pressure sensors 101 are formed in the same group. FIG. 4A shows an example in which the pressure sensors 101a, 101b, and 101c form the same group. In FIG. 4A, only the pressure sensors 101 arranged on one side are given reference numerals 101a to 101c. However, all the pressure sensors are grouped according to the same rule, and any one of the pressure sensors 101a to 101c is used. Belongs to a group. The pressure sensors in the same group are connected to the A / D conversion circuit 155 through a common wiring. By grouping the pressure sensors 101, the number of I / O terminals of the A / D conversion circuit 155 can be reduced. Even if the pressure sensors are grouped, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 can specify the coordinates of the pressed pressure sensor 101 from the matrix coordinates received from the operation mode control circuit 163 when generating the touch signal.

  In the out-of-range sensor 100, hemispherical conductive rubbers 107 a to 107 c are attached to the elastic sheet 103. On the circuit board 105, a pair of comb-shaped electrodes 109a to 109c are arranged at positions facing the conductive rubbers 107a to 107c, respectively. The pair of comb electrodes 109a to 109c are insulated from each other before the elastic sheet 103 is pressed. When the elastic sheet 103 is pressed, the conductive rubbers 107a to 107c come into contact with the electrodes 109a to 109c by the pressure, and the pair of comb electrodes are conducted. As the pressing pressure increases, the conductive rubbers 107a to 107c are elastically deformed to increase the area where the comb electrodes 109a to 109c are conducted, and the resistance between the electrodes is reduced.

  In one example, only the pressure sensors 101a and 101b at both ends closest to the pressing positions S1 and S2 have resistances corresponding to the pressing pressure. The A / D conversion circuit 155 detects a change in resistance between the electrodes as a change in voltage and digitizes the change every sampling period. When the pressing pressure on the out-of-range sensor 100 is weakened, the elastic sheet 103 is restored, and the conductive rubbers 107a to 107c increase the resistance between the electrodes while reducing the area through which the comb electrodes are conducted. To do.

[Input system operation procedure]
Next, an operation procedure of the input system 200 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a locus of matrix coordinates on the touch pad 21 through which a finger passes when swiped and a moving state of the pointer 203 on the display 15. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an overall operation procedure of the input system 200. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the voltage characteristics of the pressure sensor 101 generated by the A / D conversion circuit 155 when the out-of-range sensor 100 is pressed along the coordinate axis S at a constant pressing pressure ps. FIG. When 100 is pressed along the coordinate axis S with a constant pressing pressure ph (ph> ps), FIG. 8B shows an A / D conversion circuit when the pressing is similarly performed with a constant pressing pressure pl (pl <ps). It is a figure which shows the voltage characteristic of the pressure sensors 101a-101c which 155 produces | generates. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state of difference data generated at the sampling timing in the immediately preceding mode and the operation mode.

  In FIG. 5B, the pointer 203 stops at time t0. The input system 200 operates in the immediately preceding mode from time t1 to time t2, and operates in the operation mode from time t2 to time t3. When swipe is started at time t0, the touch pad 21 first outputs matrix coordinates 201s. When the input system 200 operates in the intra-area operation mode, the pointer 203 moves on the display 15 with a plurality of difference data created by the matrix coordinates 201s to 201f.

  The finger swiped at time t1 reaches the limit position of the operation surface 22, and the finger touches the pressed position S1 of the out-of-range sensor 100. The user recognizes that the finger has touched the out-of-range sensor 100 through the step 50. When the finger touches the pressed position S1, no further swipe can be performed to move the pointer 203 in the same direction, but in FIG. 5B, the input system 200 operates in the out-of-band operation mode from time t1 to time t3. And the state where the pointer is moved is shown.

  The positions Sa, Sb, and Sc in FIGS. 7 and 8 indicate positions on the coordinate axis S immediately above the pressure sensors 101a, 101b, and 101c. The pressure sensors 101a to 101c are arranged on the coordinate axis S with a pitch m. The voltage characteristics 401a, 401b, and 401c in FIGS. 7 and 8 are A / D conversion circuits for the pressed positions S when the pressed positions on the coordinate axis S of the out-of-range sensor 100 are pressed with the same pressed pressures ps, ph, and pl, respectively. The voltages Va, Vb, and Vc generated by 155 are shown. For the sake of simplicity, the A / D conversion circuit 155 outputs a voltage hereinafter simply referred to as a pressure sensor outputting a voltage.

  The voltage characteristics 401a, 401b, 401c of each pressure sensor 101 are equal. The voltage characteristic 401a outputs the voltage Va from the position Sc to the position Sb, and the voltage characteristic 401b outputs the voltage Vb from the position Sa to the position Sc. The voltage characteristics 401a to 401c output the highest voltage when pressed right above the pressure sensors 101a to 101c, respectively, and decrease the output voltage as the pressed position shifts from directly above. At the pressed position Sp that is between the position Sa and the position Sb, the output voltages of the pressure sensor 101a and the pressure sensor 101b are equal.

  The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 uses the outputs of the pressure sensors 101a and 101b at the positions Sa and Sb on the both sides closest to the pressed position S1 in the operation mode. The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 generates difference data for controlling the moving direction and moving speed of the pointer 203 from the voltages generated by the pressure sensors 101a and 101b on both sides of the pressed position S1. It is not necessary to select the pitch m so that the voltage characteristic 401b and the voltage characteristic 401c are continuous at the position Sa and the voltage characteristic 401a and the voltage characteristic 401c are continuous at the position Sb as shown in FIG.

  However, it is necessary to select the pitch m so that the voltage characteristics 401a and the voltage characteristics 401b partially overlap between the positions Sa and Sb. If the pitch m is increased until the voltage characteristics 401a and the voltage characteristics 401b do not overlap, the voltage characteristics of the pressure sensors 101a and 101b are isolated, and a dead zone occurs when the pressure sensor used for moving the pointer shifts. Therefore, the pointer 203 cannot be moved smoothly.

  In the block 301 of FIG. 6, the pointer 203 is displayed in a state of being stopped at a predetermined position of the display 15 at time t0 as shown in FIG. The position of the pointer 203 is a position where the pointer 203 cannot be moved to the target position at time t3 even if the touch pad 21 is swiped only once from the left end to the right end. The position of the pointer 203 at the time t0 is positioned by any of the touch pad 21, the pointing stick 25, or the cursor key of the keyboard 19. At time t0, the finger is not in contact with either the touch pad 21 or the out-of-range sensor 100, and the in-area coordinate circuit 153 and the out-of-area coordinate circuit 157 do not output a difference vector. At this time, the input system 200 is in a reset state, and the operation mode control circuit 163 sets the output circuit 161 to the intra-region operation mode.

  In block 303, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 determines whether any of the pressure sensors 101 outputs a voltage exceeding the threshold value Vth in FIG. The pressing pressure with which the finger presses the out-of-range sensor 100 when the swipe is finished is referred to as a reference pressing pressure ps, and the pressing position at that time is referred to as a reference pressing position S1. A method of calculating the reference pressing position S1 will be described later in the direct mode column.

  The output voltages Va and Vb of the pressure sensors 101a and 101b when various pressing positions are pressed with the reference pressing pressure ps are referred to as reference voltages. When the reference pressing position S1 is pressed at the reference pressing pressure ps, as shown in FIG. 7, the pressure sensor 101a outputs the reference voltage Va1s for the pressing position S1, and the pressure sensor 101b outputs the reference voltage Vb1s for the pressing position S1. The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 continues to output the touch signal to the operation mode control circuit 181 as long as either the pressure sensor 101a or 101b outputs a voltage exceeding the threshold value Vth.

  The operation mode control circuit 163 continues whether or not the user is swiping with respect to the touch pad 21 based on the difference vector received from the in-region coordinate circuit 153 until the touch signal is received from the out-of-region coordinate circuit 157. Judgment. The operation mode control circuit 163 sets the output circuit 161 to the stop mode in block 305 and receives any difference vector in the pointer position control circuit 181 after receiving the touch signal in block 303 even if there is no swipe. Is not output.

  In the stop mode, the input from the touch pad 21 is invalidated even if swiped thereafter, so that it is not intended when the touch of the out-of-range sensor 100 and the touch pad 100 are simultaneously caused by the palm operating the keyboard 19. The movement of the pointer can be prevented. Once the operation mode control circuit 163 shifts to the stop mode, the operation mode control circuit 163 maintains the stop mode while receiving the touch signal. When the hand is removed from the out-of-range sensor 100 and the touch signal from the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 is stopped, the operation mode control circuit 163 releases the stop mode in block 306 and returns to block 303 to return the input system 200 to the reset state. When the operation mode control circuit 163 determines in the block 307 that the swipe has been performed before receiving the touch signal, the process proceeds to the block 311.

  In block 311, the operation mode control circuit 163 determines whether there is a touch signal after swiping. When it is determined that the touch signal has not been received, the process proceeds to block 313. At this time, the input system 200 is operating in the intra-region operation mode, the output circuit 161 is set so that the output of the intra-region coordinate circuit 153 is valid, and the operation mode control circuit 163 maintains the intra-region operation mode. In the intra-area operation mode, as shown in FIG. 5A, the matrix position difference circuit (Δxn, Δyn) while the intra-area coordinate circuit 153 is swiped from the matrix coordinates 201s to 201f is sampled at the pointer position control circuit 181. Output to.

  The size of the difference vector determines the moving speed of the pointer 203, and the direction of the difference vector determines the moving direction of the pointer 203. In block 315, the operation mode control circuit 163 returns to block 311 to maintain the in-region operation mode as long as it is determined that the swipe continues. When the operation mode control circuit 163 determines in step 315 that the swipe has ended and the finger has been removed from the touch pad 21 before receiving the touch signal, the operation mode control circuit 163 returns to block 303 to reset the input system 200.

  When the user swipes to the limit position of the operation surface 22, the user recognizes the step 50 by touching the finger. In block 311, at time t1, the finger presses the pressing position S1 of the out-of-range sensor 100 with the reference pressing pressure ps. The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 outputs a touch signal to the operation mode control circuit 163 when one of the pressure sensors 101a and 101b generates a voltage exceeding the threshold value Vth.

  Upon receiving the touch signal, the operation mode control circuit 163 disables the output of the output circuit 161 in the intra-area coordinate circuit 153 and enables the output of the out-of-area coordinate circuit 157 in block 317 to set the input system 200 to the out-of-area operation mode. Further, the operation mode control circuit 163 operates the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 in the immediately preceding mode, and the last matrix coordinate 201f stored in the buffer immediately before receiving the touch signal and the matrix coordinates five previous from it as an example. 201n is sent to the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157. Matrix coordinates 201f and 201n are data for calculating the movement speed and direction of the pointer in the intra-area operation mode immediately before the transition from the intra-area operation mode to the out-of-area operation mode.

  In block 319, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 recognizes the positions Sa and Sb on the coordinate axis S of the pressure sensors 101a and 101b that have detected the reference pressing pressure ps from the matrix coordinates 201f. The positions of the pressure sensors 101a and 101b are necessary when generating difference data for controlling the moving direction of the pointer in the operation mode. When the pressure sensor 101a or just above the pressure sensor 101b is pressed, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 recognizes only one of the pressure sensors. Further, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 stores reference voltages Va1s and Vb1s when the reference pressing position S1 is pressed at the reference pressing pressure ps.

  The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 calculates a difference vector (Δx1 ′, Δy1 ′) from the matrix coordinates 201f and 201n. The difference vector (Δx1 ′, Δy1 ′) defines the speed and direction of the finger swiping from the matrix coordinates 201n toward 201f, and defines the moving speed and direction of the pointer 203 immediately before the finger touches the out-of-range sensor 100. . The matrix coordinates 201n for calculating the difference vector (Δx1 ′, Δy1 ′) may be matrix coordinates sampled at a time that is a predetermined time after the time when the touch signal is received.

  The out-of-area coordinate circuit 157 converts the difference vector (Δx1 ′, Δy1 ′) calculated from the matrix coordinates 201n into a difference vector (Δx1, Δy1) of the sampling period, and outputs the output circuit 161 at the same period as the sampling period of the in-area coordinate circuit 153. To operate in the previous mode. FIG. 9A shows how the difference vector is generated at this time. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the out-of-area coordinate circuit 157 generates a difference vector (Δx1, Δy1) having the same direction and the same size at each sampling timing from time t1 to time t2. After the finger reaches the limit position of the operation surface 22 of the touch pad 21, the pointer position control circuit 181 that has received the difference vector moves the pointer 203 in the same movement direction as that immediately before the end of swipe. Move with.

The user might add operation to outside the sensor 100 to control the moving speed and moving direction of the pointer when the preceding mode, during the previous mode the operation is ignored. However, since the immediately preceding mode reflects the moving speed and moving direction of the pointer 203 intended by the user immediately before reaching the limit position of the operation surface 22, the pointer 203 moves without giving the user a visual discomfort. Subsequently, in block 321, the operation mode control circuit 163 sets the input system 200 to the operation mode. In the operation mode, the finger pressing pressure and the pressing position with respect to the pressure sensor 101 are changed to control the moving speed and moving direction of the pointer 203.

  In order for the pressed pressure sensors 101a and 101b to output a stable voltage corresponding to the pressed pressure p, it is necessary to elapse a predetermined time from the pressed time. Speaking of the reference voltages Vb1s and Va1s in FIG. 7, the pressure sensors 101a and 101b output voltages higher than the reference voltages Vb1s and Va1s once the pressed position S1 is pressed. After the constant voltage continues, stable reference voltages Vb1s and Va1s are output.

  Since the movement of the pointer 203 becomes unstable if the operation mode is entered before the time t2 when the stable period ends, the operation mode control circuit 163 sets the time up to the time t2 as the stable period. The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 is set to the operation mode at the time t2 when elapses (block 321). The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 set to the operation mode starts generation of difference data based on the pressure of the finger on the pressure sensor 101 and the pressed position. At this time, the user notices that the input system 200 has entered the operation mode by changing the moving speed or moving direction of the pointer 203. However, in the present invention, only the immediately preceding mode may be executed following the intra-region operation mode without executing the operation mode.

  The operation procedure of the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 in the operation mode will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 holds a typical voltage characteristic formula obtained by actually measuring the operation of the out-of-range sensor 101 in advance. The expression of the voltage characteristic with respect to a predetermined pressing pressure p can be defined by two parameters: the relative coordinates of the pressing position with respect to the coordinates of the pressed pressure sensor, and the pressing pressure at the pressing position. The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 already recognizes the coordinates of the pressure sensors 101a and 101b existing at both ends of the reference pressing position S1, and stores the reference voltages Va1s and Vb1s at the pressing position S1.

  Further, the coordinates of the pressure sensors 101a and 101b existing at both ends of the reference pressed position S1 can be acquired from the matrix coordinates 201f. The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 calculates, from the matrix coordinates corresponding to the pressure sensors 101a and 101b, the coordinates S of the out-of-range sensor 101 corresponding to the matrix coordinates 201f as the reference pressing position S1, and defines voltage characteristics 401a and 401b with respect to the reference pressing pressure ps. To do.

  In block 355, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 compares the reference voltage Va1s with the reference voltage Vb1s to determine which of the pressure sensors 101a or 101b uses the generated voltage characteristic. When Vb1s> Va1s, the voltage characteristic 401b generated by the pressure sensor 101b is selected at block 359, and when Va1s ≧ Vb1s, the voltage characteristic 401a generated by the pressure sensor 101a is selected at block 357. Here, since Vb1s> Va1s at the reference pressing position S1, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 selects the voltage characteristic 401b.

  In block 361, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 153 presses the reference key so that the movement direction (reference movement direction) and the movement speed (reference movement speed) at the operation mode start time t2 correspond to the difference vector (Δx1, Δy1) of the immediately preceding mode. The output voltage Vb of the pressure sensor 101b with respect to the pressure ps is set to the reference movement speed, and the reference pressing position S1 is set to the reference movement direction. In the operation mode, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 153 generates a difference vector in which the reference movement direction and the reference movement speed are corrected when the out-of-range sensor 100 is operated. Therefore, when the operation mode transitions to the end of the intra-region operation mode, the immediately preceding mode, and the start of the operation mode, the pointer 203 naturally moves without undergoing an extreme change. When the voltage characteristic 401a is selected, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 153 sets the output voltage Va of the pressure sensor 101a with respect to the reference pressing pressure ps to the reference moving speed, and sets the reference pressing position S1 to the reference moving direction. Works with.

  In block 363, the pressing pressure p at which the user presses the reference pressing position S1 is changed in order to change the moving speed of the pointer 203. When the reference pressing position S1 is pressed with a pressing pressure ph stronger than the reference pressing pressure ps, the voltage characteristics 401a and 401b change as shown in FIG. 8A, and the pressure sensor 101b outputs the voltage Vb1h (Vb1h> Vb1s). When pressed with a pressing pressure pl that is weaker than the reference pressing pressure ps, the voltage characteristics 401a and 401b change as shown in FIG. 8B, and the pressure sensor 101b outputs a voltage Vb1l (Vb1l <Vb1s). The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 uses the voltage characteristic 401b of FIG. 7 to calculate a moving speed proportional to the difference between the reference voltage Vb1s with respect to the reference pressing position S1 and the output voltages Vb1h and Vb1l, and corresponds to the timing of the sampling period. A correction vector is generated, and the difference vector calculated by adding the correction vector to the previous difference vector is output to the output circuit 163 at the sampling period of the in-region coordinate circuit 153.

  The state of the difference vector at this time is shown in FIG. FIG. 9B shows an out-of-range coordinate circuit when the pressing pressure p is greater than the reference pressing pressure ps at each sampling timing n (n = 1, 2, 3,...) In the operation mode from time t2 to time t3. 157 shows a state in which a difference vector (Δxn ± αn, Δyn ± βn) that increases at each sampling timing is generated. Here, the minute vector (± αn, ± βn) corresponds to a correction vector corresponding to the pressing pressure p, and the magnitude of the corrected difference vector defines the moving speed.

  The first difference vector in the operation mode is a difference vector (Δx1 ± αn, Δy1 ± βn) obtained by adding the correction vector (± αn, ± βn) to the difference vector (Δx1, Δy1) of the immediately preceding mode. The difference vector is increased by adding a correction vector at each sampling timing. The pointer position control circuit 181 that has received the difference vector moves the pointer 203 while gradually increasing only the moving speed without changing the moving direction in the previous mode. When the pressing pressure is smaller than the reference pressing pressure ps, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 generates a difference vector in which the direction is the same and the magnitude gradually decreases at each sampling timing.

  In block 365, the user shifts the finger on the coordinate axis S from the pressed position S1 to the pressed position S2 while maintaining the pressed pressure p at the reference pressed pressure ps. At this time, the out-of-band coordinate circuit 157 calculates the pressed position S2 after the shift from the voltage characteristics 401a and 401b. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method by which the out-of-area coordinate circuit 157 calculates the coordinates of the pressed position S2 after the shift. The voltage ratio characteristic 411a indicates the voltage ratio Vb / Va calculated for each pressed position when Va> Vb, and the voltage ratio characteristic 411b indicates the voltage ratio Va / Vb calculated for each pressed position when Vb ≧ Va. Yes.

  The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 creates expressions of the voltage ratio characteristics 411a and 411b based on the voltage characteristics 401a and 401b defined at the reference pressing pressure ps. Since the voltage ratio characteristics 411a and 411b do not depend on the pressing pressure p, the voltage ratio characteristics 411a and 411b can also be applied at the pressing pressures ph and pl. Therefore, even if the pressing pressure p changes at the same time that the finger is shifted from the reference pressing position S1 to the pressing positions S2 and S3, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 outputs the output voltages of the pressure sensors 101a and 101b at the shifted pressing positions S2 and S3. From the voltage ratios Va / Vb and Vb / Va calculated from Va and Vb and the voltage ratio characteristics 411a and 411b, the coordinates S of the pressed position after the shift can be calculated.

  The out-of-area coordinate circuit 157 uses the voltage ratio characteristic 411a in the range of Va> Vb, and uses the voltage ratio characteristic 411b in the range of Vb ≧ Va. In the case of FIG. 11, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 calculates from the voltage ratio R2 (Va2 / Vb2) when the output voltages of the pressure sensors 101a and 101b at the pressed position S2 are Va2 and Vb2, and outputs the output voltage at the pressed position S3. Calculation is made from the voltage ratio R3 (Vb3 / Va3) with Va3 and Vb3. The pressed position Sp indicates the center between the position Sa of the pressure sensor 101a and the position Sb of the pressure sensor 101b.

  As shown by the voltage characteristic 401b of FIG. 7, the pressure sensor 101b pressed at the pressing position S2 at the reference pressing pressure ps outputs the reference voltage Vb2s. When the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 determines that the output voltage of the pressure sensor 101b at the pressed position S2 is equal to the reference voltage Vb2s, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 determines that the pressed pressure p has not changed from the reference pressed pressure ps, and moves the pointer 203. Does not generate a difference vector that changes speed.

  The out-of-area coordinate circuit 157 calculates a distance between the reference pressed position S1 and the pressed positions S2 and S3 after the shift, creates a correction vector, and further adds the correction vector to the previous difference vector to calculate the difference vector in the area. The data is output to the output circuit 163 at the sampling cycle of the coordinate circuit 153. The state of the difference vector at this time is shown in FIG. FIG. 9C shows a state in which the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 generates difference vectors (Δxn ± αn, Δyn ± βn) having the same magnitude and different directions at the timing of each sampling in the operation mode from time t2 to time t3. Is shown. Here, the minute vector (± αn, ± βn) corresponds to a correction vector that defines the moving direction. The difference vector is directed to the direction determined by the pressed position after the shift by adding the correction vector at every sampling timing. The pointer position control circuit 181 that has received the difference vector moves the pointer 203 in different movement directions at the movement speed of the immediately preceding mode.

  When the user shifts the pressing position S, the pressing pressure p may be changed at the same time. In block 367, the user changes the pressing pressure p from the reference pressure ps while simultaneously shifting the pressing position from the reference pressing position S1 to the pressing position S2. When the pressing pressure p at the pressing position S2 after the shift changes from the reference pressing pressure ps, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 generates a difference vector such that the moving direction of the pointer 203 changes simultaneously with the moving speed. When the pressing pressure at the pressed position S2 after the shift is ph, the pressure sensor 101b outputs a voltage Vb2h as shown in FIG. 8A, and when it is pl, the voltage Vb2l is output as shown in FIG. 8B. Output.

  In FIG. 7, when the output voltage of the pressure sensor 101b at the pressing position S2 is Vb2h or Vb2l, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 is a reference that the pressure sensor 101b outputs when the pressing position S2 is pressed at the reference pressing pressure ps. The difference from the voltage Vb2s is calculated. The difference between the reference voltage Vb2s and the output voltages Vb2h and Vb21 at the pressing position S2 corresponds to the difference between the pressing pressures p (ps-ph or ps-pl), and is an element that determines the moving speed of the pointer 203. The out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 calculates the coordinates of the pressed position S2 from the output voltages Va and Vb of the pressure sensors 101 and 101b and the voltage ratio characteristic 411b at the pressed position S2 after the shift. The coordinates of the pressed position S2 are elements that determine the moving direction of the pointer 203.

  The out-of-region coordinate circuit 157 generates a difference vector including a component that changes the moving speed and the moving direction, and outputs the difference vector to the output circuit 163 at the same cycle as the sampling cycle of the in-region coordinate circuit 153. In blocks 365 and 367, the voltage characteristics 401a may be selected by comparing the output voltages Va and Vb at the pressed position after the shift, based on the determination in block 355. The difference vector can be generated by the same method when the pressed position is between the position Sa and the position Sc or between the position Sb and the position Sc. Also, when the reference pressed position is the position Sb and the finger is shifted in the position Sa direction or the position Sc direction, the difference vector can be generated by switching the voltage characteristics in the same procedure.

  The state of the difference vector at this time is shown in FIG. 9 (D) differs from FIGS. 9 (B) and 9 (C) in that the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 shows the difference vector when the pressing pressure p is smaller than the reference pressing pressure ps and the pressing position S is also different. The state of generating (Δxn ± αn, Δyn ± βn) is shown. Here, the minute vector (± αn, ± βn) corresponds to a correction vector that defines the moving speed and the moving direction. The difference vector is changed in size and direction by adding a correction vector at each sampling timing. Upon receiving this difference vector, the pointer position control circuit 181 changes the moving speed and moving direction of the pointer 203 simultaneously. In the operation mode, the order of changing the moving speed, changing the moving direction, or simultaneously changing the moving speed and the moving direction may be any, and may be any one change or two changes.

  Returning to FIG. 6, in block 323, the user moves the pointer 203 close to the target position while changing the pressing pressure p and the pressing position S for the out-of-range sensor 100 to control the moving direction and moving speed of the pointer 203. Decrease the pressing pressure near to slow down the pointer movement speed. When the user determines that the pointer 203 has reached the target position, the user tries to stop the pointer by releasing the finger from the out-of-range sensor 100 at time t3. A certain amount of time is required until the shape of the elastic sheet 103 and the conductive rubbers 107a to 107c of the out-of-range sensor 100 is restored after the finger is removed from the out-of-range sensor 100 and the output voltage becomes less than the threshold value Vth.

  Therefore, the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 may move the pointer 203 excessively until the output of the difference vector is stopped after the finger is removed from the out-of-range sensor 100. In this case, the user cannot accurately position the pointer 203 at the target position, and the user's operation intention is not reflected. The amount of decrease per time of the pressure sensors 101a to 101c after the finger is removed from the out-of-range sensor 100 is much larger than the amount of change when the user is operating in the operation mode. The operation mode control circuit 157 continuously monitors the output voltage of the pressure sensors 101a to 101c and stops the out-of-range coordinate circuit 157 or stops the output circuit 161 when it is determined that the amount of decrease per time exceeds a predetermined value. By setting the mode, the movement of the pointer 203 is stopped in a short time after the finger is released from the out-of-range sensor 100.

  When the output of the difference vector from the output circuit 161 to the pointer position control circuit 181 stops, the movement of the pointer 203 stops. The user clicks the mouse button 23 at the position where the pointer 203 is stopped, or releases the mouse button 23 that has been clicked to perform drag and drop. When the operation mode control circuit 163 detects the signal of the mouse button 23, the block 325 sets the output circuit 161 to the intra-area operation mode and returns to the block 303.

  In the operation mode, the position of the pointer cannot be moved in the direction opposite to the direction in which the pointer has moved so far. If the pointer 203 cannot be stopped at the target position, the finger is removed from the out-of-range sensor 100 and the intra-area operation mode is performed in block 303. Go to and swipe to fix. However, since the input system 200 can control the moving speed and moving direction of the pointer 203 in the operation mode, such additional swipe can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which only the pressure sensors 101a and 101b detect the pressure and output the voltage between the position Sa and the position Sb has been described. However, according to the present invention, the pitch m of the pressure sensors 101 may be narrowed so that more pressure sensors arranged outside the two pressure sensors also output a voltage. In this case, the voltage characteristic of which pressure sensor is to be used can be determined so as to use a desirable characteristic part based on an operation feeling for the movement of the pointer.

  Moreover, although the example which produces | generates the difference data which show the moving direction of a pointer using the voltage characteristic with respect to the pressing position of the pressure sensor 101 was shown, this invention uses a pressure sensor as a pressure switch for control of a moving direction. Then, difference data indicating the moving direction may be generated. In this case, for example, the pressure sensors are arranged at a narrow pitch so that the finger always presses the plurality of pressure sensors. The difference data indicating the moving direction based on the coordinates of the pressure sensor that operates after the position of the pressing position is shifted, with the position of the central pressure sensor being the reference pressing position among the plurality of pressure sensors that are operated when the pressing is first performed. Can be generated.

  In this embodiment, an example in which the touch pad 100 is mounted on a notebook PC has been described. However, the present invention is applied to an electronic device that displays a pointer, such as a smartphone other than a notebook PC, a tablet PC, and an automobile navigation system. be able to. In the present invention, since the pointer can be accurately moved to the target position by a user operation even in the out-of-range operation mode, the area of the operation surface of the touch pad can be reduced.

  Although the present invention has been described with the specific embodiments shown in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings, and is known so far as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved. It goes without saying that any configuration can be adopted.

10 Notebook PC
15 Display 17 Palm rest 19 Keyboard 21 Touch pad 23 Mouse button 25 Pointing stick 50 Step 100 Out-of-range sensor 101a, 101b, 101c Pressure sensor 201s, 201n, 201f Matrix coordinate 203 Pointer

Claims (17)

An electronic device input system for displaying a pointer on a display,
A touchpad with a swipable operating surface ;
A pressure detection device arranged around the operation surface and capable of detecting a finger pressure;
A first coordinate circuit that outputs coordinate data generated from matrix coordinates of the swipe touchpad and moves the pointer;
The coordinate data including an element that determines the moving speed calculated from the signal of the pressure detecting device that detects the pressure of the finger that has reached the periphery of the operation surface following the swipe is output to move the pointer. An input system having a coordinate circuit. 2. The control circuit according to claim 1, further comprising: a control circuit that enables one of the first coordinate circuit and the second coordinate circuit based on a signal from the pressure detection device and coordinate data output from the first coordinate circuit. Input system. 2. The input system according to claim 1 , wherein the coordinate data output by the second coordinate circuit includes an element that simultaneously determines a moving direction and a moving speed of the pointer. The pressure detecting device includes a plurality of pressure sensors arranged around the operation surface at a predetermined pitch, and the second coordinate circuit determines a moving direction from signals of the plurality of pressure sensors corresponding to a pressed position. The input system according to claim 3, wherein coordinate data including an element is output. Each pressure sensor is another pressure sensor and grouping disposed discretely at a predetermined pitch, according to claim 4, a plurality of pressure sensors of the same group to be connected to the A / D conversion circuit with a common wiring Input system. The second coordinate circuit includes an element that determines a moving direction by specifying a position of a pressure sensor that detects a finger from matrix coordinates detected by the first coordinate circuit immediately before the pressure detecting device detects the finger. The input system according to claim 4 , wherein the input coordinate data is calculated . The input system according to claim 1 , wherein a physical feature structure for recognizing a finger touching the pressure detection device is provided around the pressure detection device. The second coordinate circuit outputs coordinate data that maintains the moving speed and moving direction of the pointer immediately before the finger detection in response to the pressure detection device detecting the finger swiping the touch pad. The input system according to claim 1 . Claims having a control circuit to disable the input to the touch pad while the touch pad is the pressure detecting device when the pressure detecting device detects the contact of the hand before being swiped is detecting the contact of the hand Item 4. The input system according to Item 1 . An electronic device input system for displaying a pointer on a display,
  A touchpad with a swipable operating surface;
  A pressure detection device arranged around the operation surface and capable of detecting a finger pressure;
  A first coordinate circuit that outputs coordinate data generated from matrix coordinates of the swipe touchpad and moves the pointer;
  The coordinate data including an element for determining the moving direction calculated from the signal of the pressure detecting device that detects the pressure of the finger that has reached the periphery of the operation surface following the swipe is output to move the pointer. Coordinate circuit and
Input system. A portable computer equipped with the input system according to any one of claims 1 to 10 . A method of moving a pointer displayed on a display,
A first movement step of swiping the touchpad to move the pointer;
A touch detection step in which the pressure detection device detects that the swiped finger has reached the limit of the operation area of the touchpad;
In response to execution of said touch detecting step, and a second moving step of further moving the pointer by controlling the moving speed signal of the pressure detecting device changes in response to the pressing pressure of the finger to the swipe Method. The pressure detection device comprises a plurality of pressure sensors arranged linearly,
The method according to claim 12 , wherein the second moving step includes a step of controlling a moving direction of the pointer by changing a pressing position of the pressure sensor with a swipe finger. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the second moving step includes a step of simultaneously controlling a moving speed and a moving direction of the pointer by changing a pressing position and a pressing pressure of the pressure detecting device with a swipe finger. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising a third movement step of further moving the pointer with a signal maintaining a movement speed and a movement direction of the pointer immediately before detection of a finger in response to execution of the touch detection step. . When the pressure detection device detects a hand contact before the touch pad is swiped, an erroneous input prevention step of invalidating an input to the touch pad while the pressure detection device detects a hand contact. 13. The method of claim 12 , comprising: A method of moving a pointer displayed on a display,
  A first movement step of swiping the touchpad to move the pointer;
  A touch detection step in which the pressure detection device detects that the swiped finger has reached the limit of the operation area of the touchpad;
  A second moving step of further moving the pointer by controlling a moving direction by a signal of the pressure detecting device that changes in accordance with the position of the swipe of the finger in response to the execution of the touch detecting step;
Having a method.

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