JP2000222103A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an operator to easily make plural operation indications by switching the input mode through easy operation by automatically switching the input mode only by slanting an input device main body. SOLUTION: An input part 101 outputs button information to a signal line AO1 when an input button 120 is pressed and to the signal line AO1 when an input button 121 is pressed. A tilt detection part 102, on the other hand, outputs tilt information showing that the input device main body is horizontal to a signal line AO2 when a conductive weight 110 comes into contact with an electrode 111 and tilt information showing that the input device main body is vertical to the signal line AO2 when the conductive weight 110 comes into an electrode 112. An operation determination part 103 outputs operation information to a display part 104 through a signal AO3 according to an operation correspondence table on the basis of the button information inputted from the input part 101 through the signal line AO1 and the tilt information inputted from the tilt detection part 102 through the signal line AO2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an input device in which an input mode is switched according to a tilt state of the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method of inputting a plurality of instructions with a conventional input device, buttons corresponding to the number are provided and one instruction is assigned to each button, or a plurality of instructions are assigned to one button. Each instruction is sequentially specified by switching the input mode using the input mode switching button.

[0003]

However, in the conventional method of providing a plurality of instructions with a plurality of instructions using an input device, there is a problem that the number of buttons is increased, the input device is increased, and the cost is increased. In addition, there is a problem that the operation becomes complicated in a method of assigning a plurality of instructions to one button and switching the input mode by the input mode switching button to sequentially designate each instruction.

An object of the present invention is to provide an input device capable of inputting a plurality of instructions by easily switching an input mode.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems, the input device of the present invention comprises the following means.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an input device comprising a signal input means for inputting a signal, a tilt detecting means for detecting a tilt of the input device main body, and a combination of the input signal and the detected tilt of the input device main body. There is provided control information output means for outputting control information.

In the input device according to the first aspect, the signal input means outputs an input signal to the pressed input button to the control information output means, and the inclination detection means determines whether the input device main body is held horizontally or vertically. The inclination of the apparatus main body, such as being held, is detected and output to the control information output means as inclination information. The control information is output to the display means, and the display means performs display based on the control information, so that a plurality of instructions can be input to one input button by changing the inclination of the apparatus main body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the input method includes a signal inputting step of inputting a signal, a tilt detecting step of detecting a tilt of the input device main body, and a combination of the input signal and the detected tilt of the input device main body. It comprises a control information output procedure for outputting control information.

In the input method according to the second aspect, the signal input step outputs an input signal to the pressed input button to the control information output step, and the tilt detection step determines whether the input device main body is held horizontally or vertically. It detects the inclination of the device body such as being held and outputs it to the control information output procedure as inclination information, and the control information output procedure is determined from a combination of the input signal and the inclination information based on the operation correspondence table held internally. By outputting the control information to the display procedure and displaying the display procedure based on the control information, it is possible to input a plurality of instructions to one input button by changing the inclination of the apparatus main body.

[0010]

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

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1A is a system configuration diagram including an input device and a display unit according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Reference numeral 101 denotes an input unit for inputting an operator's instruction, 102 denotes an inclination detection unit for detecting an inclination of the input device, and 103 denotes an instruction input from the input unit 101 and the inclination detection unit 102 detects the instruction. An operation determining unit 104 that finally determines an operation specified from the tilt of the input device is a display unit that is display-controlled by a control signal from the operation determining unit 103.

FIG. 1B is an internal structure diagram of the input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals 120 and 121 denote input buttons of the input unit 101, which output signals only when the button is pressed. Reference numeral 110 denotes a conductive weight which is attached to a bearing inside the input device main body and faces vertically downward, and 111 denotes an electrode which is installed horizontally in the input device main body.
Reference numeral 2 denotes an electrode installed in the input device main body in a vertical direction.
02.

The input device main body is in a horizontal state (input button 12
When the planes 0 and 121 are horizontal), the weight 110 contacts the electrode 111 and outputs a horizontal detection signal. On the other hand, when the input device main body is in a vertical state (a state in which the surfaces of the input buttons 120 and 121 are vertical), the weight 110 contacts the electrode 112 and outputs a vertical detection signal.

FIG. 2 is an operation correspondence table used by the operation determining section of the input device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention to finally determine the operation specified from the button information and the tilt information.

The operation correspondence table includes input buttons 120 and 121.
Button information (J01, J0
2), tilt information (J03, J04) indicating whether the tilt of the input device is horizontal or vertical, and motion information (J10, J10,
J11, J12, J13) (in the present embodiment, the motion information is screen scrolling in up, down, left, and right directions).

Input section 101 outputs button information J01 to signal line A01 when input button 120 is pressed, and outputs button information J02 to signal line A01 when input button 121 is pressed.

On the other hand, when the conductive weight 110 comes into contact with the electrode 111, the tilt detecting unit 102 outputs tilt information J03 indicating that the input device body is in a horizontal state to the signal line A02, and the conductive weight 110 Tilt information J indicating that the input device main body is in a vertical state when contacting the electrode 112
04 to the signal line A02.

The operation determining unit 103 is based on the operation correspondence table based on the button information input from the input unit 101 via the signal line A01 and the tilt information input from the tilt detecting unit 102 via the signal line A02. The signal line A0 is displayed on the display unit 104.
3 to output the operation information.

In the case of a combination of the button information J01 and the inclination information J03, the operation information J1 indicating the right scroll of the screen.
When 0 is a combination of the button information J02 and the tilt information J03, the operation information J11 indicating the left scroll of the screen is:
In the case of the combination of the button information J01 and the tilt information J04, the operation information J12 indicating scrolling on the screen is signalized, and in the case of the combination of the button information J02 and the tilt information J04, the operation information J13 indicating scrolling of the screen is signalized. Output to line A03.

The display unit 104 scrolls up, down, left, and right based on the operation information input from the operation determining unit 103 via the signal line A03.

Hereinafter, a processing flow of screen scrolling using the input device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in step 1, the signal line A01 is connected to J01.
If so, the process proceeds to step 2.1, where the signal line A01 is set to J0
If it is 2, the process proceeds to Step 2.2; otherwise, the process remains at Step 1. In step 2.1, the signal line A
If 02 is J03, the process proceeds to step 3.1. If the signal line A02 is J04, the process proceeds to step 3.2. In step 2.2, if the signal line A02 is J03, the process proceeds to step 3.3. If the signal line A02 is J04, the process proceeds to step 3.4. In step 3.1, the display unit scrolls right on the screen, in step 3.2, the display unit scrolls up the screen, in step 3.3, the display unit scrolls left on the screen, and in step 3.4, The display unit scrolls down the screen.

Steps 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4
Is completed, the process returns to the start and waits for the next scroll process.

According to this configuration, when the input device main body is kept horizontal, the right scroll is performed when the input button 120 is pressed, the left scroll is performed when the input button 121 is pressed, and the input device main body is moved to the left. In the case where the screen is tilted by 90 degrees and kept vertical, the input button 120 is pressed to perform an upward scroll, and the input button 121 is pressed to perform a downward scroll.

Although the input unit 101 is a button-type input unit in the present embodiment, the input unit 101 may be a button-type input unit, such as a rotary input unit or a tablet. What is necessary is just to be able to output equivalent information.

Further, in the present embodiment, the inclination detecting section 102
Is composed of a conductive weight attached to a bearing inside the input device main body and pointing directly below, and an electrode installed inside the main body, but any device capable of detecting the tilt of the input device main body and outputting the tilt information may be used. .

In the present embodiment, the operation determining unit 103
Has two button information items in the operation correspondence table to be used, but the number of button information items and the number of operation information items may be increased or decreased according to the increase or decrease in the number of buttons of the input unit 101.

In this embodiment, the tilt of the input device body at the time when the input button is pressed is determined to perform the scrolling operation in the corresponding direction. The scroll direction may be changed when the tilt of the input device body is changed.

[0031]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the input mode can be automatically switched just by tilting the input device main body, so that the operator can switch the input mode by a simple operation and perform a plurality of operation instructions. Can be easily performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a system configuration according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an internal structure of an input device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation correspondence table used by an operation determining unit of the input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of a screen scrolling process using the input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[Description of Signs] 101 input unit 102 tilt detection unit 103 operation determination unit 104 display unit 110 weights 111 and 112 electrodes 120 and 121 input buttons A01 to A03 signal lines J01 to J04 input signals J10 to J13 control information

Claims (2)

[Claims] A signal input means for inputting a signal; a tilt detecting means for detecting a tilt state of the apparatus main body as tilt information;
An input device comprising control information output means for outputting control information based on a signal input from the signal input means and inclination information detected by the inclination detection means. 2. A signal input procedure for inputting a signal, a tilt detection procedure for detecting a tilt state of the apparatus main body as tilt information,
An input method comprising a control information output step of outputting control information based on the signal input in the signal input step and the tilt information detected in the tilt detection step.