JP6119444B2 - Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program.

  For example, in a smartphone, when another application is activated during operation of one application, the screen of the original application may be interrupted due to the interruption of the other application.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of screen interruption by interruption of another application of a conventional smartphone. FIG. 1A is an example in which when an incoming call is received while browsing the Web browser screen, the screen changes from the Web browser screen to an incoming call screen that notifies the incoming call, and the Web browser screen cannot be seen. FIG. 1B is an example in which a menu display pop-up is displayed during display of a map screen of a route guidance application using GPS (Global Positioning System), and a part of the map screen cannot be seen.

JP 2009-187290 A

  In the example shown in FIG. 1A, when the screen changes from the Web browser screen to the incoming screen, browsing and operation of the Web browser screen cannot be performed. In the example shown in FIG. 1B, the menu display pop-up is preferentially displayed, and therefore, part of the screen of the route guidance application cannot be seen due to the menu display pop-up, or the operation to the route guidance application cannot be performed. Or

  As described above, in the conventional smartphone, when two applications are activated in parallel, one application becomes an obstacle to the operation of the other application, which is difficult to use.

  An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program that improve operability.

One aspect of the present invention is:
A display device for displaying an operation target;
First and second input devices capable of operating one of the operation objects;
A control unit that assigns operations of the first operation object and the second operation object displayed on the display device to the first input device and the second input device, respectively;
Is an information processing apparatus.

Another aspect of the present invention is an information processing method executed by the information processing apparatus described above. Another aspect of the present invention can include an information processing program that causes a computer to function as the above-described information processing apparatus, and a computer-readable recording medium that records the program. A computer-readable recording medium that stores information such as data and programs by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action, and is a non-temporary recording medium that can be read from a computer, etc. Say.

  According to the disclosed information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program, operability can be improved.

It is a figure which shows an example of the screen interruption by interruption of the other application of the conventional smart phone. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen interruption by interruption of the other application of the conventional smart phone. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen output of the portable terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a portable terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional block of a portable terminal. It is an example of the flowchart of the process of allocation of the operation of the 2nd application after a control part. It is an example of the flowchart of the process of allocation of the operation of the 2nd application after a control part. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting of the invalid area | region of a 2nd touch panel. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting of the invalid area | region of a 2nd touch panel. The example which made the invalid area | region of a 2nd touch panel overlap is shown. It is a figure which shows an example of an invalid area | region table. It is an example of the flowchart of the process of allocation of operation of the 2nd application of a portable terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting of an object display improper area | region. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting of a priority area | region. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting of a priority area | region. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen output of the portable terminal which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is an example of the flowchart of the process of assignment of the operation at the time of the some character effective of the portable terminal which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen output of the portable terminal which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is an example of the flowchart of the process of allocation of the 1st touchscreen and the division area of a screen when two applications of the portable terminal which concern on 5th Embodiment start.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The configuration of the following embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment.

<First Embodiment>
The information processing apparatus includes a display device that displays an operation target, first and second input devices that can operate one operation target, and a first operation target and a second operation target that are displayed on the display device. A control unit that assigns operations to the first input device and the second input device, respectively, is provided. The information processing device is, for example, a portable device information processing device such as a smartphone, a mobile phone terminal, a tablet terminal, a portable game device, or a music player. The information processing apparatus is not limited to a portable type, and may be a stationary computer having at least two input devices. For example, when the information processing apparatus is a portable type, the first and second input devices are touch panels provided on the front surface and the back surface of the housing. However, the first and second input devices are not limited to these, and may be, for example, a touch pad, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a keypad, an operation button, or the like. The first and second input devices may be different types of input devices.

  The operation target displayed on the display device includes, for example, objects such as application screens, icons, windows, and characters.

  In the first embodiment, the information processing device, the operation target, and the first and second input devices will be described by assuming a mobile terminal, an application screen, and a touch panel on the front surface and the back surface of the mobile terminal housing, respectively. In the first embodiment, the description will be made assuming that when two applications are started in parallel in the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal assigns the operation of each application to the front and back touch panels.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen output of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a screen in which the incoming screen is superimposed on the Web browser screen at the top and the Web browser screen when there is an incoming call at the bottom.

  In the first embodiment, application operations are assigned to the front and back touch panels in the order of activation. For example, when the Web browser is activated for the first time on the mobile terminal, the operation of the Web browser screen is assigned to the front touch panel. When there is an incoming call while the Web browser screen is displayed, the operation of the call application is assigned to the touch panel on the back side.

  In addition, on the screen of the mobile terminal after the incoming call (see the lower part of FIG. 2), the incoming call screen is transparently displayed on the front layer of the Web browser screen. In FIG. 2, the incoming call screen is one of the screens of a call application including an incoming call button, an incoming call rejection button, and a box for displaying a telephone number. Hereinafter, the transparent display of the screen of the front layer in order to make the screen of the back layer visible can be referred to as overlay display.

  The screen of the application for a call that is activated later is displayed as an overlay, so that the web browser screen that has been activated first can be kept visible. If the user wants to continue operating the Web browser screen, the user can operate the Web browser screen from the front touch panel. For example, when the user wants to press the incoming call button, the user can press the incoming call button in the incoming call screen from the touch panel on the back side.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, by separating the touch panel operated on the Web browser screen and the incoming call screen, it is possible to reduce erroneous operations and improve convenience. In addition, since two different applications are displayed on one screen and operations can be performed in parallel from different input devices, the operability of the mobile terminal is improved.

<Configuration of mobile terminal>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the mobile terminal. The portable terminal 1 is a portable information processing device, such as a smartphone, a cellular phone terminal, a tablet terminal, a car navigation system, a portable game device, or the like. In the first embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 is assumed to be a smartphone. The mobile terminal 1 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101.
, A storage unit 102, a first touch panel 103A, a second touch panel 103B, a display 104, a wireless unit 105, an audio input / output unit 106, a speaker 107, a microphone 108, an acceleration sensor 109, and an antenna 110, which are electrically It is connected.

The storage unit 102 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102A, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102B, and an auxiliary storage device 102C. ROM 102A and RAM 1
02B is used as a main storage device, and provides the CPU 101 with a storage area and a work area for loading a program stored in the auxiliary storage device 102C, and is used as a buffer. The ROM 102A and the RAM 102B are, for example, semiconductor memories.

The auxiliary storage device 102C is a nonvolatile storage device such as an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM). Further, a portable medium that is detachably attached to the mobile terminal 2 may be used as the auxiliary storage device 102C. Examples of portable media include memory cards such as EEPROM (Electrically EPROM). The auxiliary storage device 102C using a portable medium and the non-portable auxiliary storage device 102C can be used in combination.

  The auxiliary storage device 102C holds, for example, an OS, an application operation control program, and various other application programs. The application operation control program is a program for assigning operations of a plurality of applications to the first touch panel 103A and the second touch panel 103B. The application operation control program is an example of an “information processing program”.

  The CPU 101 executes various processes by loading an OS, an application operation control program, and other various application programs held in the auxiliary storage device 102C into the ROM 102A and the RAM 102B and executing them. The number of CPUs 101 is not limited to one, and a plurality of CPUs 101 may be provided.

  The display 104 is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). The display 104 displays screen data according to a signal input from the CPU 101. A surface on which the casing display 104 of the mobile terminal 1 is arranged is a front surface.

  The first touch panel 103 </ b> A is one of position input devices, and is disposed on the surface of the display 104. The second touch panel 103 </ b> B is disposed on the back surface of the casing of the mobile terminal 1. The back surface of the mobile terminal 1 is a surface facing the surface on which the casing display 104 of the mobile terminal 1 is disposed. Each of the first touch panel 103A and the second touch panel 103B has a coordinate system, and inputs, for example, the coordinates of the contact position and contact range of the user's finger. The first touch panel 103A and the second touch panel 103B may be of any system such as a resistive film system, a surface acoustic wave system, an infrared system, an electromagnetic induction system, and a capacitance system. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the second touch panel 103B is invalidated in the initial state.

The wireless unit 105 is connected to the antenna 110, converts a wireless signal received through the antenna 110 into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal to the CPU 101, or converts an electrical signal input from the CPU 101 into a wireless signal and transmits the antenna. 110 to transmit. The radio unit 205 is, for example, a third generation mobile communication system, Wi-Fi, LTE (Long Term Evolution)
It is an electronic circuit corresponding to any one or more of them.

  The audio input / output unit 106 is connected to a speaker 107 as an audio output device and a microphone 108 as an audio input device. The audio input / output unit 106 converts an audio signal input from the microphone 108 into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal to the CPU 101, or converts an electric signal input from the CPU 101 into an audio signal and outputs the audio signal to the speaker 107. To do.

  The acceleration sensor 109 is a sensor that measures acceleration applied to the mobile terminal 1. From the acceleration applied to the mobile terminal 1, the inclination, movement, gravity and the like of the mobile terminal 1 are detected. For example, the vertical and horizontal orientations of the mobile terminal 1 are detected by calculating the inclination of the acceleration sensor from the gravity measured by the acceleration sensor 109. The acceleration sensor 109 is, for example, a capacitance type MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) three-axis acceleration sensor.

  The hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 1 is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 3, and omissions, replacements, and additions of components may be appropriately performed. For example, the mobile terminal 1 includes a battery in addition to the hardware configuration shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the mobile terminal 1 according to the first embodiment. The portable terminal 1 includes a control unit 11, a display processing unit 12, a first input processing unit 13, a second input processing unit 14, and a storage unit 15 as functional blocks. Since the orientation determination unit 16 does not operate in the first embodiment, it will be described later.

  The control unit 11 is realized by the CPU 101 executing an application operation control program. The control unit 11 is activating and assigns an operation of an application that is directly operated by the user to the first touch panel 103A or the second touch panel. In this specification, the application is referred to as an application that uses a direct operation by the user.

  When there is one activated application, the control unit 11 assigns the operation of the activated application to the first touch panel 103 </ b> A arranged on the surface of the display 104. When an application different from the activated application is activated later, the control unit 11 assigns the operation of the application activated later to the second touch panel 103B. When each application ends, the control unit 11 cancels the assignment of the operation of each application to the first touch panel 103A and the second touch panel 103B. Details of the processing of the control unit 11 will be described later.

  The display processing unit 12 is realized by the CPU 101 executing a control program for the display 104. The display processing unit 12 controls display on the display 104 in accordance with an instruction from a predetermined application.

  The first input processing unit 13 is realized by the CPU 101 executing the control program for the first touch panel 103A. The first input processing unit 13 is a predetermined application in which an operation is assigned to the control unit 11 or the first touch panel 103A based on the coordinates of the contact position and contact range of the user's finger input from the first touch panel 103A. Notify

  The second input processing unit 14 is realized by the CPU 101 executing the control program for the second touch panel 103B. The second input processing unit 14 notifies the contact position of the user's finger and the coordinates of the contact range input from the second touch panel 103B to the control unit 11 or a predetermined application to which an operation is assigned.

  The storage unit 15 is created in advance in a storage area of the auxiliary storage device 102C, for example, statically or dynamically through execution of an application operation control program by the CPU 101, for example. The storage unit 15 includes an invalid area table 151, a display area table 152, a priority area table 153, and a device table 154. Since these tables are not used in the first embodiment, they will be described later.

<Process flow>
5A and 5B are an example of a flowchart of a process for assigning operations of the second and subsequent applications of the control unit 11. The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is started, for example, when the second application is activated. Hereinafter, the application that has been activated first is referred to as a first application, and the application that is activated later is referred to as a second application.

  In OP1, the control unit 11 activates the second touch panel 103B. More specifically, the control unit 11 activates the second input processing unit 14 and activates the second touch panel 103B by the second input processing unit 14. Next, the process proceeds to OP2.

  In OP2, the control unit 11 assigns the operation of the second application to the second touch panel 103B. Specifically, the control unit 11 instructs the second input processing unit 14 to notify the second application of the coordinate input from the second touch panel 103B. However, at this time, coordinate input from the second touch panel 103B is not accepted and is not notified to the second application. Next, the process proceeds to OP3.

  In OP3, the control unit 11 instructs the display processing unit 12 to display the second application screen on the front surface of the first application screen in a transparent display, that is, an overlay display. Thereafter, the screen of the second application is displayed on the display 104 as an overlay. Next, the process proceeds to OP11.

  In OP11, the control unit 11 stands by until the second touch panel 103B is in a non-contact state. The non-contact state of the second touch panel 103B is a state where there is no coordinate input from the second touch panel 103B for a predetermined time. The predetermined time is, for example, 500 milliseconds. However, it is not limited to this.

  For example, the control unit 11 periodically monitors information from the second input processing unit 14 to confirm that there is no coordinate input from the second touch panel 103B for a predetermined time, and Detects a non-contact state.

  If the second touch panel 103B is in a non-contact state (OP11: YES), the process proceeds to OP12. In OP12, the control unit 11 makes the coordinate input from the second touch panel 103B available. Specifically, the control unit 11 instructs the second input processing unit 14 to notify the second application of the coordinate input from the second touch panel 103B. Thereafter, the coordinate input from the second touch panel 103B is notified to the second application. Hereinafter, coordinate input from the touch panel is referred to as sensor information.

  The portable terminal 1 is in a state of being held by either the left or right hand of the user, and when the second touch panel 103B is activated, the user's finger is touching the second touch panel 103B. There is a case. Therefore, in order to reduce erroneous operations, sensor information input from the second touch panel 103B cannot be used until the second touch panel 103B is brought into a non-contact state. When the user performs an operation of once releasing his / her finger from the second touch panel 103B, the screen of the second application displayed on the display 104 responds to contact with the second touch panel 103B.

If the second touch panel 103B is not in a non-contact state even after a predetermined time has elapsed (OP11: NO), for example, a message for prompting the user to lift the finger once from the second touch panel 103B is displayed. You may do it. The predetermined time is, for example, about 2 to 10 seconds.

  In OP13, when a touch on the second touch panel 103B is detected (OP13: YES), the sensor information of the second touch panel 103B is notified to the second application, and the process proceeds to OP14. In OP14, the second application performs processing according to the sensor information of the second touch panel 103B. For example, when the sensor information from the second touch panel 103B corresponds to the position of the display button on the screen of the second application, the second application changes the display of the display button to the selected state. When the contact time is continuously 500 mm or longer, processing corresponding to the selection of the display button is executed. Next, the process proceeds to OP15.

  In OP15, the control unit 11 detects the end of the second application. When the second application is terminated (OP15: YES), the process proceeds to OP16. In OP16, the control unit 11 cancels the assignment of the operation of the second application to the second touch panel 103B, and the second application 2 touch panel 103B is invalidated. Specifically, the invalidation of the second touch panel 103B is performed by the control unit 11 stopping the second input processing unit 14. With the stop of the second input processing unit 14, the second touch panel 103B is invalidated. Thereafter, the processing illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B ends.

  Until the second application is terminated (OP15: NO), the processing from OP13 to OP14 is repeatedly executed.

<Operational effects of the first embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 displays the first application that is activated first by displaying the second application that is activated later on the screen of the first application that is activated earlier. Make the application screen visible continuously. Further, in the portable terminal 1, the operation of the first application is assigned to the front-side touch panel (first touch panel 103A), and the operation of the second application that is activated later is assigned to the rear-side touch panel (second touch panel 103B). In this way, it is possible to reduce erroneous operations by separating operations of different applications and assigning them to different input devices.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, different applications are displayed on one screen of the mobile terminal 1, and the user can operate the different applications in parallel, so that the operability of the mobile terminal 1 is improved.

Second Embodiment
The portable terminal 1 is used while being held by the user's hand. For this reason, when the second application is activated and the second touch panel is activated, the user's finger may be in contact with the second touch panel 103B. In the second embodiment, an invalid area is provided in the second touch panel 103B in order to reduce malfunctions when the second touch panel 103B disposed on the back surface is activated while the user's finger is in contact. The invalid area is an area in which sensor information from the second touch panel 103B is not received by the second input processing unit 14. In the second embodiment, the description common to the first embodiment is omitted.

  6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an example of setting an invalid area of the second touch panel 103B. Examples of the orientation of the mobile terminal 1 include portrait orientation and landscape orientation. The vertical orientation of the mobile terminal 1 is, for example, an orientation in which the long side of the casing of the mobile terminal 1 is in a substantially vertical direction. The lateral orientation of the mobile terminal 1 is, for example, an orientation in which the short side of the mobile terminal casing is substantially vertical.

  Moreover, the portable terminal 1 may be held with both hands or may be held with one hand (right / left). Since the invalid area is set according to the contact pattern of the user's finger on the second touch panel 103B, for example, six patterns are set according to the holding state of horizontal orientation, vertical orientation, both-hand holding, and one-hand (right / left) holding. Is done.

  FIG. 6A shows an example of the invalid area of the second touch panel 103B in the case where the mobile terminal 1 is sideways and held with both hands. FIG. 6B shows an example of the invalid area of the second touch panel 103 </ b> B when the mobile terminal 1 is vertically oriented and is held with one hand with the left hand.

  FIG. 6C shows an example in which invalid areas of some patterns of the second touch panel 103B are overlapped. As shown in FIG. 6C, if the invalid area is a fixed area, there is a possibility that there is no area for accepting coordinate input. Therefore, in 2nd Embodiment, the portable terminal 1 hold | maintains the setting information of the invalid area | region beforehand according to the pattern of each holding | maintenance state, determines a holding | maintenance state, reads the setting information of the invalid area | region according to a holding | maintenance state, Set the invalid area.

  The hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 1 in the second embodiment is as shown in FIG. The functional blocks of the mobile terminal 1 in the second embodiment are as shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the orientation determination unit 16 is activated.

  The direction determination unit 16 is realized by the CPU 101 executing a control program for the acceleration sensor 109. The orientation determination unit 16 measures the inclination of the mobile terminal 1 from the gravity detected by the acceleration sensor 109 and determines the portrait orientation and the landscape orientation.

  The control unit 11 activates the second input processing unit 14 in response to the activation of the second application, acquires the coordinate input of the second touch panel 103B from the second input processing unit 14, and holds both hands , One hand (right / left) holding is determined. Any of the known methods may be used for the determination of holding both hands and holding one hand (right / left). For example, when there are two or more contact ranges of the second touch panel 103B and each of the two touch ranges includes each short side of the second touch panel, the control unit 11 is held by both hands. Determine.

  The control unit 11 determines the holding state of the portable terminal 1 from the direction determination result from the direction determination unit 16 and the determination result of holding both hands and holding one hand (right / left), and the second touch panel according to the holding state The setting information of the invalid area 103B is read from the storage unit 15. When the control unit 11 assigns the operation of the second application to the second touch panel 103B, the control unit 11 notifies the second input processing unit 14 of the setting information of the invalid area of the second touch panel 103B. As a result, sensor information from the invalid area of the second touch panel 103B is not accepted and becomes unavailable.

  The invalid area table 151 stored in the storage unit 15 stores invalid area setting information. For example, in the second embodiment, when holding both hands vertically, holding one hand (right) vertically, holding one hand (left) vertically, holding both hands horizontally, holding one hand (right) ) In the case of holding, each invalid area table 151 in the case of holding one hand (left) sideways is stored. The control unit 11 reads from the invalid area table 151 the invalid area table 151 corresponding to the holding state of the portable terminal 1 in portrait, landscape, two-handed holding, and one-handed (right / left) holding, and notifies the second application To do.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the invalid area table 151. For example, the second touch panel 103B is rectangular and has a coordinate system in which one vertex is the origin, the long side extending from the origin is the X axis, and the short side extending from the origin is the Y axis.

The invalid area is defined by a rectangle in the second embodiment. The invalid area setting information is, for example,
It includes the coordinates of the start point and the coordinates of the end point. The start point is the coordinates of the vertex of the rectangle that has the minimum value for both the X and Y coordinates. The end point is the coordinate of the vertex of the rectangle that has the maximum value for both the X coordinate and the Y coordinate. When there are a plurality of invalid areas, the coordinates of the start point and the end point are stored as setting information for each invalid area.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the invalid area table 151 when holding both hands in the horizontal direction. The invalid area in the case of holding both hands in the horizontal direction is, for example, an area of 30 mm on both sides in the horizontal direction of the second touch panel 103B. In this case, the invalid area setting information includes the first invalid area start point (X11, Y11), the first invalid area end point (X12, Y12), and the second invalid area start point (X21, Y21). It includes the end point (X22, Y22) of the second invalid area. The information stored in the invalid area table 151 is not limited to the invalid area setting information. For example, valid area setting information that is an area for accepting coordinate input may be stored. The invalid area is not limited to a rectangle and can be arbitrarily set.

(Process flow)
FIG. 8 is an example of a flowchart of the process of assigning the operation of the second application of the mobile terminal 1. The flowchart shown in FIG. 8 is started when the second application is activated, for example.

  In OP21, the control unit 11 activates the second touch panel 103B. Next, the process proceeds to OP22.

  In OP22, the control unit 11 acquires the contact range of the second touch panel 103B from the activated second input processing unit 14. In response to the instruction from the control unit 11, the second input processing unit 14 measures the contact range of the second touch panel 103 </ b> B and notifies the control unit 11 of the measured contact range. Next, the process proceeds to OP23.

  In OP23, the control unit 11 acquires the orientation (vertical orientation, lateral orientation) of the mobile terminal 1 based on the measurement result of the acceleration sensor 109 from the orientation determination unit 16. The orientation determination unit 16 may receive an instruction from the control unit 11, measure the acceleration sensor 109, determine the orientation of the mobile terminal 1, and notify the control unit 11. Alternatively, the orientation determination unit 16 retains the orientation of the mobile terminal 1 that is measured when the orientation of the mobile terminal 1 is changed by the user, receives the instruction from the control unit 11, and holds the orientation May be notified to the control unit 11. Next, the process proceeds to OP24.

  In OP24, the control unit 11 determines the holding state of the mobile terminal 1 from the orientation of the mobile terminal 1 and the contact range of the second touch panel 103B. Next, the process proceeds to OP25.

  In OP <b> 25, the control unit 11 reads the invalid area table 151 corresponding to the holding state of the mobile terminal 1 from the storage unit 15. Next, the process proceeds to OP26.

  In OP26, the control unit 11 notifies the second input processing unit 14 of the invalid area table 151 of the second touch panel 103B and instructs the second touch panel 103B to set the invalid area. In response to the instruction from the control unit 11, the second input processing unit 14 sets an invalid area on the second touch panel 103 </ b> B according to the invalid area table 151. Next, the process proceeds to OP27.

  In OP27, the control unit 11 notifies the second invalid application of the read invalid area table 151. Next, the process proceeds to OP28.

  In OP28, the second application displays the screen of the second application as an overlay on the screen of the first application in accordance with the invalid area table 151 notified from the control unit 11. Thereafter, the process proceeds to OP11 in FIG. 5B, and the process is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

<Effects of Second Embodiment>
In the second embodiment, an invalid area is set on the second touch panel 103 </ b> B according to the holding state of the mobile terminal 1. Since the coordinate input from the invalid area is ignored, it is possible to reduce erroneous operations when the second touch panel is activated while the user's finger is in contact. In addition, due to the nature of the mobile terminal 1, since the user holds and operates the mobile terminal 1, the user may unintentionally touch the second touch panel 103 </ b> B installed on the back surface. Even in such a case, it is possible to reduce erroneous operations by setting the invalid area according to the holding state of the mobile terminal 1.

  In the second embodiment, the invalid area is set in advance according to the holding state of the mobile terminal 1, but may be dynamically set so as to include the contact range of the second touch panel 103B, for example.

<Third Embodiment>
In the third embodiment, an object display disabled area is set on the screen of the second application in accordance with the setting of the invalid area of the second touch panel 103B. The object display disabled area is an area in which operation buttons such as a selection button, operation target objects such as icons and links are not displayed. Even if the operation target object is displayed in the invalid area of the second touch panel 103B, contact with the invalid area is not accepted, and the operation target object displayed in the invalid area is not operated. Therefore, in the third embodiment, an object display disabled area is set on the screen of the second application so that the operation target object is not displayed in the area in the screen corresponding to the invalid area of the second touch panel 103B. In the third embodiment, descriptions common to the first embodiment and the second embodiment are omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting the object display disabled area. The screen size of the second application is the screen size of the display 104. In addition, the size of the second touch panel 103B is assumed to be approximately the same as the screen size of the display 104 in consideration of the operability of the operation target object displayed on the display 104. In this case, the screen of the second application and the size of the second touch panel 103B are almost the same.

  Therefore, the object non-displayable area on the screen of the second application is set to the same size as the invalid area of the second touch panel 103B or a size larger than the invalid area.

The storage unit 15 stores a display area table 152 corresponding to each invalid area table 151. That is, the storage unit 15 stores a display area table 152 corresponding to each holding state of the mobile terminal 1. Similar to the invalid area table 151, each display area table 152 stores the coordinates of the start point and end point of the object display disabled area. For example, the screen of the second application has a coordinate system independent of the second touch panel 103B, and the object display disabled area of the second application screen and the invalid area of the second touch panel 103B Are associated using a common reference coordinate system. The common reference coordinate system may be, for example, the coordinate system of the second touch panel 103B, the coordinate system of the screen of the second application, or a third coordinate different from both coordinate systems. It may be a system. Note that the information stored in the display area table 152 is not limited to the information on the object non-displayable area. For example, information on an object displayable area that is an area where an operation target object such as a button can be displayed may be stored. .

  In the third embodiment, the control unit 11 activates the second input processing unit 14 when the second application is activated, and then inputs the coordinates of the second touch panel 103B from the second input processing unit 14. To determine whether to hold both hands and hold one hand (right / left). The control unit 11 acquires the holding state of the mobile terminal 1 from the direction determination result from the direction determination unit 16 and the determination result of both-hand holding and one-hand (right / left) holding, and enters the holding state from the storage unit 15. The corresponding invalid area table 151 and display area table 152 are read out and notified to the second application. Further, the control unit 11 notifies the second input processing unit 14 of the read invalid area table 151.

  Upon receiving the notification, the second application performs an overlay display of the second application screen. At this time, the second application creates a screen so as not to place the operation target object in the object display disabled area.

  In the processing flow of the third embodiment, in the processing flow described in FIG. 8 of the second embodiment, the control unit 11 reads from the storage unit 15 at OP25 and OP27, and notifies the second application of the table. The difference is that a display area table 152 is added.

<Operational effects of the third embodiment>
In the third embodiment, an object display disabled area is set on the screen of the second application in accordance with the invalid area of the second touch panel 103B. Moreover, although a user may touch the 2nd touch panel arrange | positioned on the back surface of the portable terminal 1 unintentionally by holding | maintaining the portable terminal 1, there is a possibility that the user may touch unintentionally. The high range is set as an invalid area. Since the operation target object is not arranged in the area of the screen of the second application corresponding to the invalid area of the second touch panel 103B, erroneous operations can be further reduced according to the third embodiment. Further, the user can operate the mobile terminal 1 without worrying about the arrangement of the finger on the back surface, and the operability is improved.

<Modification of Third Embodiment>
When the user operates the operation target object displayed on the display 104 through the second touch panel 103B arranged on the back surface of the mobile terminal 1, there is a high possibility that the user operates with the index finger. For this reason, an operation target object that is frequently used may be arranged in preference to an area including the operating range of the index finger in the object displayable area.

  10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of setting a priority area. The priority area is an area where the operation target object is preferentially displayed according to the use frequency. 10A and 10B both show the back surface of the mobile terminal 1. In FIGS. 10A and 10B, the object displayable area in the screen of the second application corresponds to the valid area of the second touch panel 103B. Therefore, for convenience, the priority area and the invalid area are the second touch panel 103B. It is shown arranged in a region. Actually, the priority area is set for the screen of the second application.

FIG. 10A shows an example of setting the priority area when the mobile terminal 1 is in the landscape orientation. FIG. 10B shows an example of setting the priority area when the mobile terminal is in the vertical orientation. In the example shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the upper half of the object displayable area is set as the priority A area, and the lower half is set as the priority B area. The priority A area is, for example, an area having a higher priority than the priority B area. For example, among the operation target objects of the second application, an operation target object whose use frequency is higher than a predetermined threshold is associated with the priority A area. For example, among the operation target objects of the second application, an operation target object whose use frequency is less than a predetermined threshold is associated with the priority B area.

  The setting of the priority area shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B is an example, and the division number of the object displayable area, the assignment of the priority, and the like are not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B.

  The priority area setting information is stored in a priority area table 153 stored in the storage unit 15. A plurality of priority area tables 153 corresponding to the invalid area table 151 and the display area table 152 are prepared according to the holding state of the mobile terminal 1. In the priority area table 153, the setting information of the coordinates of the start point and the end point of one or more priority areas in the object displayable area, and the second application assigned to each priority area according to the frequency of use. Information on the operation target object is stored. Since the priority area is set on the screen of the second application, the coordinates of the start point and the end point of the priority area are values in the coordinate system of the second application.

  In the present modification, the control unit 11 activates the second input processing unit 14 when the second application is activated, and then determines the contact range of the second touch panel 103B from the second input processing unit 14. Acquire and determine both-hand holding and one-hand (right / left) holding. The control unit 11 acquires the holding state of the mobile terminal 1 from the direction determination result from the direction determination unit 16 and the determination result of both-hand holding and one-hand (right / left) holding, and enters the holding state from the storage unit 15. The corresponding invalid area table 151, display area table 152, and priority area table 153 are read out and notified to the second application.

  Upon receiving the notification, the second application performs an overlay display of the second application screen. At this time, the second application creates a screen so as not to place the operation target object in the object display disabled area. The second application creates a screen by arranging the operation target object allocated according to the frequency of use in each priority area in the object displayable area.

  The processing flow of the modified example of the third embodiment is the same as the processing flow described in FIG. 8 of the second embodiment, but the control unit 11 reads from the storage unit 15 at OP25 and OP27 and notifies the second application. A display area table 152 and a priority area table 153 are added to the table.

  In the modification of the third embodiment, an operation that is frequently used is preferentially performed in an area in the screen corresponding to the area of the second touch panel 103B including the operating range of the index finger that is likely to operate the operation target object. The target object is placed. That is, the operation target object is arranged at a position where the user can easily operate. Therefore, in the modification of the third embodiment, the operability of the second application is improved.

<Fourth embodiment>
In the fourth embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 assigns operations of different operation target objects in the same application to the first touch panel 103A and the second touch panel 103B. In the fourth embodiment, descriptions common to the first to third embodiments are omitted.

  In the fourth embodiment, the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 1 is as shown in FIG. The functional blocks of the mobile terminal 1 in the fourth embodiment are also as shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen output of the mobile terminal according to the fourth embodiment. The screen shown in FIG. 11 is a game application screen on which a first character and a second character are displayed. Hereinafter, in the fourth embodiment, an example in which operations of the first character and the second character as operation target objects in the game application are assigned to the first touch panel 103A and the second touch panel 103B will be described.

  Hereinafter, the character that becomes valid first is the first character, and the character that becomes valid later is the second character. In the fourth embodiment, the priority is set in advance for each character. For example, the operation of the character with the higher priority between the first character and the second character is assigned to the first touch panel 103A. . The operation of the other character is assigned to the second touch panel 103B.

  In the example shown in FIG. 11, the operation of the first character is assigned to the first touch panel 103A, and the operation of the second character is assigned to the second touch panel 103B. In the fourth embodiment, a character assigned an operation to the first touch panel 103A is displayed in a non-transparent manner, and a character assigned an operation to the second touch panel 103B is displayed in a transparent manner. The transparent display is an example, but the display of the first character is a form so that the character assigned the operation to the second touch panel 103B can be distinguished from the character assigned the operation to the first touch panel 103A. Are displayed differently.

  In 4th Embodiment, the control part 11 performs the allocation process of operation of each character with the opportunity of validation of a 2nd character. The control unit 11 compares the priorities of the first character activated earlier and the second character activated later, and operates the first and second characters according to the priorities. Are assigned to the first touch panel 103A and the second touch panel 103B.

  The priority of each character is stored in the device table 154 of the storage unit 15. The device table 154 is referred to by the control unit 11 when a plurality of characters are enabled. For example, a character for which a higher value is set in the device table 154 has a higher priority. In the fourth embodiment, a character operation with a higher priority is assigned to the first touch panel 103A. Further, for example, an operation of a character whose value is not set in the device table 154 is treated as the highest priority and is assigned to the first touch panel 103A.

  When the operation assignment process for each character is completed, the control unit 11 notifies the game application of the operation assignment for each character and activates the second touch panel 103B. Thereafter, the sensor information from the second touch panel 103B is notified to the game application through the second input processing unit 14, and is handled as the operation information of the character to which the operation is assigned to the second touch panel 103B by the game application.

(Process flow)
FIG. 12 is an example of a flowchart of operation assignment processing when a plurality of characters of the mobile terminal 1 according to the fourth embodiment are valid. The flowchart shown in FIG. 12 is started, for example, when a second character is activated in a predetermined game application. Note that the first character refers to a character that has been validated in advance, and the second character refers to a character that has been validated later.

  In OP31, the control unit 11 refers to the device table 154 stored in the storage unit 15. Next, the process proceeds to OP32.

In OP32, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the priority of the second character is stored in the device table 154. If the priority of the second character is stored in the device table 154 (OP32: YES), the process proceeds to OP33.

  When the priority of the second character is not stored in the device table 154 (OP32: NO), the second character is treated as the highest priority. In this case, the process proceeds to OP35, and in OP35, the control unit 11 assigns the second character operation to the first touch panel 103A and the first character operation to the second touch panel 103B. Next, the process proceeds to OP36.

  In OP33, the control unit 11 compares the priority of the first character with the priority of the second character. If the priority of the first character is higher than the priority of the second character (OP33: YES), the process proceeds to OP34. In OP34, the control unit 11 assigns the operation of the first character with high priority to the first touch panel 103A and the operation of the second character to the second touch panel 103B. Next, the process proceeds to OP36.

  If the priority of the second character is higher than the priority of the first character (OP33: NO), the process proceeds to OP35. In OP35, the control unit 11 assigns the operation of the second character having a high priority to the first touch panel 103A and the operation of the first character to the second touch panel 103B. Next, the process proceeds to OP36.

  In OP36, since the assignment of the operations of the first touch panel 103A and the second touch panel 103B is completed, the control unit 11 validates the second touch panel 103B. At this time, the control unit 11 notifies the game application of the assignment of the operations of the first and second characters. In addition, the control unit 11 instructs the second input processing unit 14 to notify the game application of sensor information from the second touch panel 103B. Thereafter, the process proceeds to OP11 in FIG. 5B.

  In the fourth embodiment, the second application in FIG. 5B is a game application. In OP15, instead of determining the end of the second application, the control unit 11 determines invalidation of one of the first and second characters in the fourth embodiment. In OP <b> 16, when the enabled character operation is assigned to the second touch panel 103 </ b> B, the control unit 11 reassigns the operation to the first touch panel 103 </ b> A, for example, and invalidates the second touch panel 103 </ b> B. To do.

  In addition, when the priority of the 1st character and the 2nd character is the same, you may make it treat that the one where the order validated earlier has a higher priority.

<Effects of Fourth Embodiment>
In 4th Embodiment, the portable terminal 1 allocates operation with the 1st character and 2nd character of a predetermined | prescribed game application to the 1st touch panel 103A and the 2nd touch panel 103B according to a priority. As a result, operations of different operation target objects in the same application can be assigned to different input devices, and different operation target objects can be operated in parallel, improving the operability of the mobile terminal 1.

Note that the fourth embodiment can be implemented in combination with the second embodiment or the third embodiment. Moreover, although the operation of the character in the game application has been described in the fourth embodiment, the application and the operation target object to which the fourth embodiment can be applied are not limited to this. In the fourth embodiment, the priority is set for each character and the operation is assigned to the first touch panel 103A and the second touch panel 103B. However, the character can be executed instead of the application. That is, the mobile terminal 1 sets a priority for an application, and when two applications are activated in parallel, the first and second applications are operated according to the priority. The touch panel 103A and the second touch panel 103B may be assigned.

<Fifth Embodiment>
In the fifth embodiment, when a plurality of applications are activated in a state where the second touch panel 103B of the mobile terminal 1 cannot be used for some reason, the mobile terminal 1 divides the screen of the display 104 to display each application. Display. The mobile terminal 1 also divides the area of the first touch panel 103A in accordance with the screen, and assigns the operation of each application to the divided area corresponding to the screen display. In the fifth embodiment, descriptions common to the first to fourth embodiments are omitted.

  In the fifth embodiment, the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 1 is as shown in FIG. The functional blocks of the mobile terminal 1 in the fifth embodiment are as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen output of the mobile terminal according to the fifth embodiment. Hereinafter, in the fifth embodiment, an example in which two applications are activated in parallel will be described. The screen output of the mobile terminal shown in the upper part of FIG. 13 is the screen of the Web browser. An example of the screen output of the fifth embodiment when there is an incoming call while browsing a Web page with a Web browser is shown in the lower part of FIG.

  In the fifth embodiment, when the second touch panel 103B arranged on the back surface cannot be used, the mobile terminal 1 divides the screen into two parts, a web browser screen on one side, and an incoming call application on the other side. Display the screen. The mobile terminal 1 also divides the area of the first touch panel 103A arranged on the surface according to the screen, and assigns one to the operation of the Web browser screen and the other to the operation of the incoming call screen. Whether to assign the Web browser screen and the incoming screen to which divided area is determined by the priority set for each application, for example. For example, when the mobile terminal 1 is in the vertical orientation and the screen is divided into two vertically, an application having a higher priority is assigned to the upper area.

  In the fifth embodiment, even when there is one touch panel, the screen and the area of the touch panel are divided and assigned to a plurality of applications, so that the plurality of applications do not interfere with each other, and the user can Can be operated. The division of the area of the screen and the first touch panel 103A is not limited to equal division, and the range may be different for each application depending on the priority set for the application.

  Hereinafter, the application that is activated in advance is referred to as a first application, and the application that is activated later is referred to as a second application. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 13, the first application is a web browser, and the second application is a call application.

  The processing of the mobile terminal 1 in the fifth embodiment is specifically as follows. When the second application is activated, the control unit 11 divides the screen and the first touch panel 103A and assigns the operation of the application to the divided area. The control unit 11 compares the priorities of the first application that has been activated first and the second application that has been activated later, and the first application assigned to the first and second applications according to the priority. The touch panel 103A and the divided area of the screen are determined.

For example, in the case of the vertical direction, according to the ease of operation, for example, an application having a higher priority is assigned toward the upper part of the screen. In the case of the horizontal direction, for example, an application having a higher priority is assigned to the left side area.

  The priority of each application is stored in the device table 154 of the storage unit 15. The device table 154 is referred to by the control unit 11 when a plurality of applications are activated. For example, an application for which a higher value is set in the device table 154 has a higher priority. For example, an operation of an application whose value is not set in the device table 154 is treated as the highest priority.

  When the allocation process of the divided area is completed, the control unit 11 notifies the display processing unit 12 and the first input processing unit 14 of the allocation of the application to the divided area, and temporarily invalidates the first touch panel 103A. To enable it again. Thereafter, the sensor information from the first touch panel 103A is notified to an application assigned according to the input area.

(Process flow)
FIG. 14 is an example of a flowchart of the process of assigning the first touch panel 103A and screen divided areas when two applications of the mobile terminal 1 according to the fifth embodiment are activated. The flowchart shown in FIG. 14 is started, for example, when the second application is activated. Note that the flowchart shown in FIG. 14 is based on the premise that the first touch panel 103A and the screen are equally divided into two when two applications are started in parallel. In FIG. 14, in the first touch panel 103 </ b> A and the screen that are equally divided into two, the higher priority is referred to as a first region and the other is referred to as a second region. In the case of portrait orientation, the upper half area is the first area and the lower half area is the second area. In the case of landscape orientation, the left half area is the first area and the right area is the second area.

  In OP41, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the second touch panel 103B can be used. When the second touch panel 103B can be used (OP41: YES), the process proceeds to OP1 in FIG. 5A, and the process described in the first embodiment is executed. When the second touch panel 103B cannot be used (OP41: NO), the process proceeds to OP42.

  In OP42, the control unit 11 refers to the device table 154 stored in the storage unit 15. Next, the process proceeds to OP43.

  In OP43, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the priority level of the second application is stored in the device table 154. If the priority of the second application is stored in the device table 154 (OP43: YES), the process proceeds to OP44.

  When the priority of the second application is not stored in the device table 154 (OP43: NO), the second application is treated as the highest priority. In this case, the process proceeds to OP46, and in OP46, the control unit 11 assigns the second application to the first area and the first application to the second area. Next, the process proceeds to OP47.

  In OP44, the control unit 11 compares the priority of the first application with the priority of the second application. If the priority of the first application is higher than the priority of the second application (OP44: YES), the process proceeds to OP45. In OP45, the control unit 11 assigns the first application having a high priority to the first area and the second application to the second area. Next, the process proceeds to OP47.

  When the priority of the second application is higher than the priority of the first application (OP44: NO), the process proceeds to OP46. In OP46, the control unit 11 assigns the second application having a higher priority to the first area and the first application to the second area. Next, the process proceeds to OP47.

  In OP47, since the assignment of the first and second applications is completed, the control unit 11 once invalidates the first touch panel 103A and validates it again. At this time, the control unit 11 notifies the first input processing unit 14 and the first and second applications of the assignment. Thereafter, the process shown in FIG. 14 ends.

  When one of the first and second applications ends, the control unit 11 cancels the division of the first touch panel 103A and the screen, displays the activated application on the full screen, and performs the operation of the application. 1 touch panel 103A.

  In the fifth embodiment, the case where two applications are started in parallel has been described. However, when three or more applications are started in parallel, the first touch panel 103A and the screen are also displayed. The fifth embodiment can be applied by increasing the number of divisions.

<Operational Effects of Fifth Embodiment>
In the fifth embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 can operate a plurality of applications running in parallel using one input device. As a result, a plurality of applications running in parallel can be operated without interruption or other obstacles, and the operability of the mobile terminal 1 is improved.

  In the fifth embodiment, the case where the second touch panel 103B is unusable has been described. However, even when the first touch panel 103A is unusable, the area of the second touch panel 103B is divided, The technique of the fifth embodiment can be applied.

  Further, by combining the techniques of the first embodiment and the fifth embodiment, when the second touch panel 103B can be used, two or more applications can be operated in parallel. For example, in a situation where the operation of the first application is assigned to the first touch panel 103A, the operation of the second application is assigned to the second touch panel 103B, and the screen of the second application is displayed as an overlay, 3 Assume that the first application starts. In this case, for example, the control unit 11 divides the screen of the display 104 and the area of the first touch panel 103A, and assigns the first application to one and the third application to the other. Thus, the operations of the three applications can be performed in parallel. Similarly, three or more applications can be activated and operated in parallel.

<Others>
In the first to fifth embodiments, the touch panel is described as an example of the input device. However, the techniques described in the first to fifth embodiments can be applied to input devices other than the touch panel. Examples of input devices to which the techniques of the first to fifth embodiments can be applied include a touchpad, a keypad, a controller, a keyboard, and operation buttons.

1 mobile terminal 11 control unit 12 display processing unit 13 first input processing unit 14 second input processing unit 15 storage unit

Claims (7)

A display device for displaying an operation target;
A first input device capable of operating one of the operation objects;
A position on the screen of the display device having an input surface of a predetermined area is associated with a position on the input surface where the contact position is detected, and one of the operation objects can be operated. A second input device;
The first operation target displayed on the display device, allocation operations on different second operation target from the first operation target before Symbol first input device, the second input device, the At least one invalid area that invalidates position input is set in a predetermined area of the input surface of the second input device, and an effective area that validates position input on the input surface of the second input device. A priority area is set in the area of the screen of the corresponding display device and used for an application that manages the first operation object or the second operation object to which an operation is assigned to the second input device. depending on the frequency, and a control unit which Ru is arranged an operation object in the priority region,
An information processing apparatus comprising: An acceleration sensor,
Based on the contact position and contact range acquired from the second input device, the control unit determines whether the information processing device is held by the user with both hands, or with either one of the right hand or the left hand. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information processing apparatus determines whether the invalid area is held, and sets the position and size of the invalid area according to the determination result and the orientation of the information processing apparatus obtained by the acceleration sensor. . Before SL controller, an application that manages the first operation target or the second operation object operated to the second input device is assigned, the position of the invalid area of the second input device Do not place the operation target in the screen area of the display device associated with
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 . It said first input device and said second input device is a touch panel,
The first input device is disposed on a surface of the display device,
The second input device is disposed on a surface of the housing of the information processing device that faces the first input device and a display surface of the display device.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The first input device has a position input surface having a predetermined area, and a position on the screen of the display device is associated with a position on the position input surface where a contact position is detected. Because
Wherein the control unit, the display on the display device a first operation target, the second operation target, the operation for each different third operation target from the first operation target and the second operation target a first divided region of the position input surface before Symbol first input device, the second divided region of the position input surface of the first of said first input device independently of the divided regions, the second Assigned to the input device
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. A display device for displaying an operation target;
A first input device capable of operating one of the operation objects;
A position on the screen of the display device having an input surface of a predetermined area is associated with a position on the input surface where the contact position is detected, and one of the operation objects can be operated. A second input device;
An information processing apparatus comprising
First operation target displayed on the display device, allocation operations on different second operation target, before Symbol first input device, the second input device and the first operation target,
Setting at least one invalid area that invalidates position input in a predetermined area of the input surface of the second input device;
A priority area is set in an area of the screen of the display device corresponding to an effective area that enables position input on the input surface of the second input device;
An application for managing the first operation target or the second operation object operated to the second input device is allocated, depending on the frequency of use, Ru is disposed an operation object in the priority region,
Information processing method. A display device for displaying an operation target;
A first input device capable of operating one of the operation objects;
A position on the screen of the display device having an input surface of a predetermined area is associated with a position on the input surface where the contact position is detected, and one of the operation objects can be operated. A second input device;
In an information processing apparatus comprising
The first operation target displayed on the display device, the operation for the different second operation target from the first operation target before Symbol first input device, let allocated to the second input device,
Setting at least one invalid area that invalidates position input in a predetermined area of the input surface of the second input device;
A priority area is set in an area of the screen of the display device corresponding to an effective area that enables position input on the input surface of the second input device;
An operation target is arranged in the priority area according to the use frequency in an application that manages the first operation target or the second operation target to which an operation is assigned to the second input device .
Information processing program.

Images