JPH10207681A - Cursor display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cursor display device capable of pointing out an object having spatial extent on a screen. SOLUTION: A pointing device 1 has an X direction moving distance detector 12, a Y direction moving distance detector 13 and a dial turning angle detector 14. The turning angle of a dial 15 detected by the detector 14 is sent to a computer body 2 through an interface 11. The body 2 receives a signal indicating, the turning angle through an interface 21, a cursor event generation part 22 converts the contents of the signal into a mouse event and sends the event to an application program 23 designed by a user. Signals showing the X and Y direction moving distances and the dial turning angle are sent also to a cursor control part 24 and a cursor indication area enlarged or reduced in accordance with the dial turning angle is displayed on a picture position corresponding to the X and Y moving distances.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a collaborative work support system using a computer, and more particularly to a cursor display device for pointing a part of a shared screen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a collaborative work support system such as a video conference system, a collaborator at a remote place works while sharing the same screen. In such a system, when it is desired to point to a certain portion of the shared screen, the pointing device such as a mouse is used to indicate one point on the screen.

Further, there is a technique for designating one point of a three-dimensional coordinate position on a screen using a pointing device, as in a method of designating a three-dimensional coordinate position disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-182721.

[0004]

However, in any of the above-mentioned prior arts, in the method of pointing one point on the screen by a pointing device, the pointing target is one point in space or has a certain spread. There was a problem that it could not be distinguished whether the area was a different area.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cursor display device which allows an operator to easily designate an object having a spatial spread on a screen.

[0006]

A first cursor display device according to the present invention is characterized in that a pointing area of a cursor is enlarged or reduced by operating a dial provided on a pointing device.

A second cursor display device according to the present invention comprises an X-direction movement amount detector, a Y-direction movement amount detector, a dial rotation amount detector, and a first for transmitting output signals from these detectors. Interface, a pointing device including a dial, a second interface for receiving the output signal, a cursor event generating unit for receiving the output signal via the second interface and converting it to a mouse event, A user application program that receives the mouse event from the cursor event generation unit and instructs a cursor control unit to turn on and off a cursor area indication function; and a user application program that receives the output signal and the user application program received from the cursor event generation unit. ON / OFF indication of the cursor area indication function received Anda computer that includes a cursor control section for displaying the designated area of the cursor on the display device from the cursor control unit, X-direction moving amount, Y
The display position of the cursor is determined according to the amount of directional movement, and the designated area of the cursor is enlarged or reduced according to the amount of dial rotation.

In a third cursor display device according to the present invention, in the first or second cursor display device according to the present invention, the dial is a seesaw type switch or an enlargement key and a reduction key. Alternatively, it is characterized in that the designated area of the cursor is enlarged or reduced according to the operation of the enlargement key and the reduction key.

The present invention having the above-described means is summarized as follows.

[0010] The pointing device according to the present invention comprises:
It has a dial rotation amount detector in addition to the X-direction movement amount detector and the Y-direction movement amount detector that a normal pointing device has. The dial rotation amount detected by the dial rotation amount detector is sent to the computer main body via the interface. The computer receives the dial rotation signal via the interface,
The cursor event generator converts the content of the signal into a mouse event and sends it to an application program designed by the user. The signals of the X-direction movement amount, the Y-direction movement amount, and the dial rotation amount are also sent to the cursor control unit, and are moved to a screen position corresponding to the X-direction movement amount and the Y-direction movement amount.
A cursor indication area corresponding to the dial rotation amount is displayed.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. An interface 11 with a computer main body 2, an X-direction movement amount detector 12 and a Y-direction movement amount detector 1 included in a normal pointing device are shown.
3 and a dial rotation amount detector 14 and a dial 15
And a computer main body 2 including an interface 21 for the pointing device 1, a cursor event generator 22, a user application program 23, and a cursor controller 24.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a mouse to which the present invention is applied, and a dial 15 is attached to a side surface of the mouse 1A. FIG. 3 is a view showing a display screen to which the present invention is applied, in which a cursor pointing area 4 is displayed on the display device 3.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

When the operator moves the mouse 1A, the X-direction movement detector 12 and the Y-direction movement detector 13 provided in the mouse 1A detect the X-direction movement and the Y-direction movement, respectively. , Via the interface 11 to the interface 21 of the computer main body 2.
Next, when the operator turns the dial 15 provided on the mouse 1 </ b> A, the dial rotation amount detector 14 detects the dial rotation amount and sends it out to the interface 21 of the computer main body 2 via the interface 11.

In the computer main body 2, the cursor event generating section 22 receives signals of the X-direction movement amount, the Y-direction movement amount and the dial rotation amount via the interface 21. Then, the cursor event generating unit 22 which has received the signal converts the content of the signal into a mouse event and converts the content of the signal into a mouse event.
3 In addition, the cursor event generation unit 22
The signals of the X-direction movement amount, the Y-direction movement amount, and the dial rotation amount are sent to the cursor control unit 24.

User application program 23
Receives a mouse event from the cursor event generation unit 22 and instructs the cursor control unit 24 to turn on / off the cursor area instruction function. The cursor control unit 24 performs display according to the X-direction movement amount and the Y-direction movement amount based on the signal received from the cursor event generation unit 22 and the ON / OFF instruction of the cursor area instruction function received from the user application program 23. At the screen position of the device 3, a cursor indication area 4 corresponding to the dial rotation amount is displayed.

In the above description, the mouse 1A
Was explained by turning the dial 15 after moving
The mouse 1A may be moved after turning the dial 15, or both may be performed simultaneously.

It is apparent that a switch like a seesaw type switch may be used instead of the dial 11 and that an effect similar to that of the dial described above can be obtained by providing an enlargement key and a reduction key.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that an object having a spread on a screen can be accurately indicated. This makes it possible to easily and surely perform a cooperative operation via a shared screen such as a video conference system.

For example, when it is desired to show a cube on a desk as shown in FIG. 3, in a conventional pointing device, it is necessary to show a vertex which is a tip portion of a cursor or an entire cube on which the cursor is placed. According to the present invention, it is possible to expand the ring of the cursor so as to surround the cube, and it is clear which one is instructed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a mouse to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display screen to which the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pointing device 1A Mouse 11 Interface 12 X direction movement amount detector 13 Y direction movement amount detector 14 Dial rotation amount detector 15 Dial 2 Computer main body 21 Interface 22 Cursor event generation unit 23 User application program 24 Cursor control unit 3 Display device 4 Cursor pointing area

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cursor display device characterized in that a designated area of a cursor is enlarged or reduced by operating a dial provided on a pointing device. 2. An X-direction movement amount detector, a Y-direction movement amount detector, a dial rotation amount detector, a first interface for transmitting an output signal from these detectors, and a dial. A pointing device; a second interface that receives the output signal; a cursor event generator that receives the output signal via the second interface and converts the mouse signal into a mouse event; , A user application program for instructing a cursor control unit to turn on and off a cursor region indicating function, the output signal received from the cursor event generating unit, and the turning on of the cursor region indicating function received from the user application program. , Off instruction and cursor indication on display device And a cursor control unit for displaying a cursor, wherein the cursor control unit determines the display position of the cursor according to the amount of movement in the X direction and the amount of movement in the Y direction, and the cursor according to the amount of dial rotation. A cursor display device for enlarging or reducing the designated area of the cursor. 3. The dial is a seesaw type switch or an enlargement key or a reduction key. The dial is used to enlarge or reduce a cursor designated area in response to an operation of the seesaw type switch or the enlargement key or the reduction key. 3. The cursor display device according to claim 1, wherein: