JP2015191467A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a user to easily perceive a setting value by using a tactile sense of a human in an input device using a touch panel to improve the operability.SOLUTION: A touch panel has circular arc-like projections formed thereon, and input can be performed by moving a finger along the projections. Since the projections are not formed in a straight line, but in a circular arc shape, a user can estimate the current setting value through the sensation of the position of a contact point of the projections and finger, and thereby the user can perform a setting operation without the need of gazing the touch panel, while seeing another display part. The present invention can be applied to smartphones or tablet PCs when projections are provided to a protective film.

Description

  The present invention relates to a tablet computer or other computer input device using a touch panel.

In recent years, in electronic equipment for equipment monitoring devices such as SCADA in the industrial field, a device using a touch panel has been used as a means for a user to input data and the like. In place of conventional keyboard input, the number of input devices equipped with a touch panel function that enables more intuitive operation by humans is increasing rapidly.

An input device of an electronic device using a touch panel as described in Patent Document 1 includes virtual buttons used for user input operations so as to enable accurate and various input operations without displaying the operation buttons on the screen. Button generating means for generating and placing on the surface of the touch panel, and feedback means for allowing the user to perceive that the user has touched the position of the virtual button on the surface of the touch panel. There has been invented an input device that determines the position of the virtual button based on the reference point, with the position on the touch panel that is first touched in the input operation as a reference point.

  On the other hand, in the invention in Patent Document 2 in the touch panel technology field, the portable terminal device includes a display unit having a display screen in order to easily set the optimum touch panel sensitivity without being affected by the presence or type of the protective sheet. A touch panel having a touch panel portion covered with the protective sheet when the protective sheet is stuck on the display screen, a touch panel portion exposed without being covered with the protective sheet, a touch panel portion covered with the protective sheet, and the protective sheet A technique for adjusting detection sensitivity of a touch panel based on a difference in level of a detection signal when a touch operation is performed on a touch panel portion that is exposed without being covered with a touch panel is disclosed.

JP2012-063852A JP 2013-175109 A

  By adopting a configuration as described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to perform operations such as raising / lowering a certain value depending on the direction in which the finger is moved from the point where the touch panel is first touched. This is only a relative setting with respect to the initial value (current value), and it was necessary to watch the display unit in order to check how much the value to be operated is an absolute value.

  Rather, in order to achieve a more human (user) sense, the approximate value (absolute value) can be perceived to some extent by simply moving the finger, and the set value can be confirmed on the screen display unit one by one. What is not necessary is desired. It is an object of the present invention to provide an input device having such excellent operability.

The present invention is a touch panel provided with arc-shaped protrusions on the surface;
A position input processing unit that converts the protrusion position of the user contact position on the touch panel into angle information;
A set value processing unit for converting the angle information obtained from the position input processing unit into set value information;
It is an input device characterized by comprising.

Furthermore, it is possible to provide a feedback display unit that displays information on a position or a set value corresponding to the contact position of the user on the touch panel. This is because a confirmation is made before the input is confirmed by displaying a cursor or the like at the position and indicating the position or instructing how much the set value will be.

In the present invention, the touch panel includes a transparent substrate, a capacitive electrode layer thereon,
Further, an input device characterized in that a protective film provided with the protrusions is laminated thereon. A projection-type touch panel is desirable.

  According to the present invention, in an input device using a touch panel, a setting value or the like can be immediately perceived using a human sense of touch, and the setting operability can be improved.

The external appearance structure of the input device of this invention is shown. The internal block structure of the input device of this invention is shown. The operation | movement flow concerning embodiment of this invention is shown. An embodiment of the present invention will be described. Other embodiments will be described.

The external configuration of the input device 1 in the present invention is as shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 10 denotes a casing of the touch panel body, which is equipped with a power source, a CPU, and a memory in addition to each element of the display unit and the input unit to be described. The upper part of FIG. 1 is an upper plan view of the input device 1, and a cross-sectional view taken along line II ′ is shown in the lower part.

  As shown in the cross-sectional view, 11 is for display, and is a flat type display such as liquid crystal or organic EL, and is formed of a transparent substrate such as glass. An upper electrode 12 is, for example, a capacitive electrolytic layer, and electrodes are arranged in a matrix to capture changes in capacitance due to finger touch.

Further, reference numeral 13 denotes a protective film that protects the transparent substrate 11 and the electrolytic layer 12 from external impacts. The electrolytic layer 12 may be a resistance film type conductive film.

An arc-shaped protrusion 14 is provided on the surface of the protective film 13. It is not necessarily limited to an annular shape, and a circular arc as a part thereof is sufficient. Since it is not a straight line but an arc, the present setting value is characterized in that the current set value can be inferred from the position of the contact point between the protrusion 14 and the finger.
Of course, it is undeniable that the touch sensitivity is deteriorated at the top of the protrusion 14, but it is only necessary to allow the touch to be recognized not only at the top but also at the inner periphery and the outer periphery of the protrusion 14.

Next, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the input device of the present invention.
The input unit 20 configured by a control circuit and the like centering on the electrolytic layer 12 described above, the display unit 30 configured by a liquid crystal driving circuit and the like centering on the transparent substrate 11, and the processing unit 40 centering on the CPU. Is done.

The processing unit 40 recognizes the position information (x, y) transmitted from the input unit 20 up to a predetermined allowable error range (rounds off a slight deviation of the finger position) and applies it to the coordinate formula (1) of the arc. . .
If the center of the arc is (a, b) and the radius of the arc is r,
r ^ 2 = (xa) ^ 2 + (yb) ^ 2 (1)
Note that ^ 2 means square.
Then, the position information (x, y) is converted into angle information of the arc.
θ = arctan (y−b) / (x−a) (2)
The position information input unit 41 executes this as described above.

Then, what percentage of the set value this θ corresponds to is determined from the zero point and span angle in the arc.
Assuming that the zero point angle is θzero and the span angle is θspan, the percentage is obtained by the following equation.
% Value = (θ−θzero) / θspan (3)
The set value processing unit 42 executes this, including changing from this percentage to the actual industrial quantity.

A feedback display unit 43 displays a value related to the position during the touch operation on the display unit 30 as feedback from the position input processing unit 41 or the set value processing unit 42 to the user.
There are various design variations such as sequential feedback display or display only before confirmation.

  On the other hand, the set value determined by the set value processing unit 42 is transmitted to an external system or an operation target (actuator). The external output processing unit 44 performs this. It may be based on a direct input / output signal or a communication function.

  Next, the sequence in which those processes are executed will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the display screen is called and started, a predetermined display is performed on the display unit 30 (step S40 in the figure). The background image and the current value are displayed.

  Next, when the user's finger touches the electrolytic layer 12 of the touch panel input unit 20, the process proceeds to step S41. Therefore, when the contact position is obtained from the input unit 20 and is within a predetermined range of the arc, the arc position is converted into angle information. The conversion formula is described above.

  Subsequently, the angle information obtained by the conversion is converted into set value information (such as%) (step S42).

  Then, the cursor is displayed at a position corresponding to the contact position of the user, or the set value information is fed back to the user at an appropriate place on the screen (step S43).

If the user's touch operation still continues, the process loops back to step S41 to continue the process.
On the other hand, when a definite action such as the user's finger being released is detected, the process proceeds to the external output process as the deterministic process (step S44).
The above is a series of processing operation flows in the input device.

(1) Although an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4, it may be understood that this schematically shows an integrated type like the appearance of FIG. 1, and the input unit 20 and the display unit 30 are actually separated. You may understand that it is a mold. The present invention applies to both.

Assume that the user traces the upper part or the periphery of the annular protrusion 14 with a finger.
As a result, an example at a position of 25.5% is displayed as feedback. A circular volume graph is displayed on the display unit 30. A scale (0, 50, 100) is appropriately attached. Alternatively, the protrusion 14 may be cut (notched) corresponding to the scale. In this way, it is easy to check the set position if it is an integral type, and there is a feature that an approximate value can be recognized tactilely even if it is a separated type.

(2) Next, FIG. 5 is an example of a layout of arcuate protrusions that use the edges and corners of the touch panel, not the annular protrusions. In this example, it is shown as an integrated type, and the respective parts of the input unit 20 are stacked on the display of the display unit 30.

  In FIG. 5A, the electrolytic layer 12 and the protective film 13 are stretched and provided with protrusions 14 beyond the edge of the transparent substrate 11 of the display unit 30. Thus, if it exists in the edge of the housing | casing 10 of a main body, efficiency is good, without impairing a display area. In this example, the set point temperature (° C.) can be determined by an arc.

  On the other hand, what is indicated by B in FIG. 5 is like a jog dial that is set to move in the +-direction. Also in this case, the arc-shaped protrusion 14 is provided so as to extend beyond the transparent substrate 11 of the display unit 30.

  Next, as another example, FIG. 5C imitates a setting panel for air conditioning. D represents the tuning panel of a wireless receiver. In these examples, an annular protrusion 14 is provided at the lower right of the display unit 30. Here, the operation mode of this setting panel is designed to be different depending on whether the inner circumference or the outer circumference of the circle is touched.

  In FIG. 5C, assuming that the inner periphery of the protrusion 14 is touched, for example, information related to the room temperature setting temperature (TEMP) is displayed on the display unit 30 and the room temperature setting is further determined by the contact of the inner periphery of the protrusion 14. Is set. On the other hand, when the outer periphery of the protrusion 14 is touched, the display unit 30 displays information related to the supply air volume (FAN), and the air volume setting is set by the contact of the outer periphery of the protrusion 14 (strong, medium, and weak). Breeze).

  In FIG. 5D, a broadband receiver is illustrated as an example of setting from a wide range to a weak range. In this case, the function of the reception frequency is set for both the inner and outer circumferences, but the inner circumference can be finely adjusted (setting in KHz units), whereas the outer circumference can be coarsely adjusted (for example, setting in units of several MHz). It will be.

Industrial application fields

  The input device according to the present invention is not limited to the industrial setting device described in the embodiment, but can also be applied to design parts such as a game controller and various sales promotion display panels. Other TV volume settings are effective when you want to set them quickly even if they are rough. The scope of the present invention extends to so-called consumer products.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Input device 10 Main body housing | casing 11 Transparent substrate 12 (electrostatic capacity method) Electrolytic layer 13 Protective film 14 Protrusion 20 Input part 30 Display part 31 Scale indicator 32 Feedback display part 40 CPU processing part 41 Position input processing part 42 Setting value processing Unit 43 feedback display unit 44 external output processing unit

Claims (3)

A touch panel with arc-shaped protrusions on the surface;
A position input processing unit that converts the protrusion position on the user contact position into angle information;
A set value processing unit for converting the angle information obtained from the position input processing unit into set value information;
An input device comprising: The input device according to claim 1, further comprising:
An input device including a feedback display unit that displays information on a position or a set value corresponding to a contact position of a user on the touch panel. The touch panel includes a transparent substrate,
On top of that, a capacitive electrode layer,
The input device according to claim 1, wherein a protective film provided with the protrusions is further laminated thereon.

Images