JP5692796B2 - Information terminal, input method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information terminal that accepts input from a touch panel, an input method, and a program.

  In recent years, large-sized information terminals equipped with a touch panel, such as for reading electronic books, have been developed. These large information terminals are often difficult to operate with one hand because of their size, and users can handle them by changing their way of holding or operating with both hands. There were many things.

As a method for solving such a problem, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose the configuration of an information terminal in which the operation is simplified.
Patent Document 1 discloses an information terminal that displays a launcher GUI (Graphical User Interface) according to a movement mode when a finger moves on a touch panel while touching the touch panel.
Patent Document 2 discloses an information terminal that extracts items operable by a user from display information including operable items, and displays only the extracted items at a position where the user can easily operate.

JP 2009-110286 A JP 2010-160564 A

However, when using the information terminal described in Patent Document 1, the finger is moved while touching the touch panel, and the GUI is displayed based on the position where the finger first touched. It is difficult to grasp the position of the icon, and it is necessary to select an icon while confirming the GUI.
Further, when the information terminal described in Patent Document 2 is used, the position where the extracted item is displayed is a fixed position, and therefore it is difficult to select an item with one hand depending on the user's dominant hand or how to hold it. There is.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and is an information terminal that accepts input from a touch panel, and is an input state that accepts input from a user or a non-input state that does not accept input. When the state storage unit that stores state information indicating, the coordinate detection unit that detects the coordinates touched by the user on the touch panel, and the state information stored in the state storage unit indicates a non-input state, When the coordinate detection unit detects coordinates, a state transition unit that rewrites state information stored in the state storage unit into an input state, a tilt detection unit that detects the tilt of the housing, and a state stored in the state storage unit When the information indicates an input state, the coordinate detection unit detects the coordinates, and when the state information stored in the state storage unit is a non-input state, the coordinate detection unit detects the coordinates. Parts and reference point coordinates detected is an input unit for the coordinate detection unit to determine the input value based on the relative position of the currently detected coordinates, the relationship between the input value by the coordinate and the input portion of the touch panel A key interval setting unit that sets an interval between each key in the key arrangement shown according to the inclination of the housing, and a display unit that displays the key arrangement when the state transition unit rewrites the state information into the input state. It is characterized by providing.

In addition, the present invention uses an information terminal that includes a state storage unit that stores state information that indicates whether the input state accepts an input from a user or a non-input state that does not accept an input, and accepts input from a touch panel. The coordinate detection unit detects the coordinates touched by the user on the touch panel, and the state transition unit indicates that the state information stored in the state storage unit indicates a non-input state. When the coordinate detection unit detects the coordinates, the state information stored in the state storage unit is rewritten to the input state, the inclination detection unit detects the inclination of the housing, and the input unit stores the state storage unit. When the state information to be stored indicates an input state, the coordinate detection unit detects when the coordinate detection unit detects a coordinate, and when the state information stored in the state storage unit is a non-input state. Coordinate and the reference point was, the coordinate detection unit determines the input values based on the relative position of the currently detected coordinates, the key interval setting unit, the relationship between the input value by the coordinate and the input portion of the touch panel An interval between the keys in the key arrangement shown is set according to the inclination of the housing, and the display unit displays the key arrangement when the state transition unit rewrites the state information into the input state. .

The present invention further includes an information terminal that includes a state storage unit that stores state information indicating whether the input state accepts input from the user or the non-input state that does not accept input, and accepts input from the touch panel. A coordinate detection unit that detects coordinates touched by a user on the touch panel, and when the state information stored in the state storage unit indicates a non-input state, when the coordinate detection unit detects coordinates, the state The state detection unit that rewrites the state information stored in the storage unit into the input state, the inclination detection unit that detects the inclination of the housing , and the coordinate detection when the state information stored in the state storage unit indicates the input state The coordinate detection using the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit as a reference point when the state information stored in the state storage unit is in a non-input state when the unit detects coordinates Input unit but to determine the input value based on the relative positions of the coordinates detected this time, depending on the inclination of the distance a housing of each key among the key sequence showing the relationship between the input value by the coordinate and the input portion of the touch panel The key interval setting unit to be set and the state transition unit function as a display unit for displaying the key arrangement when the state information is rewritten to the input state .

  According to the present invention, the input unit determines the relationship between the coordinate position and the input value using the coordinate when the touch panel is first touched in the non-input state as a reference point. Accordingly, since the finger is not moved while being in contact with the touch panel, the user can recognize the coordinate position for inputting a desired input value from the position touched on the touch panel without checking the screen.

1 is an external view of an information terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the information terminal by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the key arrangement | sequence information which a key arrangement | sequence memory | storage part memorize | stores. It is a figure which shows the example of the input value table which a key arrangement | sequence memory | storage part memorize | stores. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the information terminal by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the key arrangement | sequence in an information terminal. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the QWERTY key arrangement | sequence in an information terminal. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the information terminal by the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the information terminal by the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

<< First Embodiment >>
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external view of an information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The information terminal 100 includes a casing 110 that forms an outline, a display 120 such as an LCD, a transparent touch panel 130 that covers the display 120, and a button 140 that is used to operate the information terminal 100.
The user holds the casing 110 of the information terminal 100, looks at the display 120 that displays the processing content of the information terminal 100, and performs input to the information terminal 100 via the touch panel 130.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
The information terminal 100 includes a state storage unit 101, a coordinate detection unit 102, a state transition unit 103, a key arrangement storage unit 104, a key interval setting unit 105 (unit length setting unit), a display unit 106, an input unit 107, and an application unit 108. Is provided.
The state storage unit 101 stores state information indicating whether the state of the information terminal 100 is an input state that accepts an input from a user or a non-input state that does not accept an input.
The coordinate detection unit 102 detects the coordinates touched by the user on the touch panel 130.
When the state transition unit 103 indicates that the state information stored in the state storage unit 101 is in a non-input state, the state transition unit 103 inputs the state information stored in the state storage unit 101 when the coordinate detection unit 102 detects coordinates. Rewrite to Further, the state transition unit 103 notifies the input unit 107 of the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit 102 when the state information stored in the state storage unit 101 is in a non-input state.
The key array storage unit 104 stores key array information indicating a relationship between a relative position from a certain reference point and an input value input to the application unit 108.
The key interval setting unit 105 sets an interval between keys in the key arrangement stored in the key arrangement storage unit 104.
The display unit 106 causes the display 120 to display the key arrangement (operation object) stored in the key arrangement storage unit 104 using the coordinates notified from the state transition unit 103 as a reference point.
The input unit 107 uses the coordinates notified from the state transition unit 103 as a reference point and inputs a predetermined input value based on the key arrangement stored in the key arrangement storage unit 104 and the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit 102 to the application unit. Input to 108.
The application unit 108 executes a predetermined application, and operates the application according to an input from the input unit 107.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of key arrangement information stored in the key arrangement storage unit 104.
The key layout storage unit 104 stores key layout information as shown in FIG. The key arrangement information is information configured by a combination of the X coordinate, the Y coordinate, and the input value ID. Note that the values of the X coordinate and the Y coordinate are represented by a constant multiple of a predetermined key interval s (unit length). The key interval s is set by the key interval setting unit 105.
When keys are arranged using the key arrangement information, a key arrangement as shown in FIG. 3B is obtained. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the center of the key corresponding to the input value ID “4” is the reference point.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input value table stored in the key layout storage unit 104.
The key layout storage unit 104 stores an input value table in addition to the key layout information. The input value table is a table showing the relationship between each input value ID included in the key arrangement information and the actual input value. The combination of the input value ID and the input value is stored in the input value table for each input type such as a number, hiragana, and alphabet.

Next, the operation of the information terminal 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.
First, the user sets the interval of each key in the key arrangement by the key interval setting unit 105 in advance. As a result, the user can perform key operations within a range that is easy to operate according to the size of his / her hand.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
When the application unit 108 of the information terminal 100 starts an application and the application enters a character string input acceptance state, the coordinate detection unit 102 waits for a user to touch the touch panel 130 (step S1). When there is no touch on the touch panel 130 (step S1: NO), the coordinate detection unit 102 repeats the standby process in step S1. When the coordinate detection unit 102 detects a touch on the touch panel 130 by the user (step S1: YES), the coordinate detection unit 102 acquires the coordinates of the contact position on the touch panel 130 (step S2). Then, the coordinate detection unit 102 outputs the acquired coordinate information to the state transition unit 103 and the input unit 107.

  Next, the state transition unit 103 reads the state information stored in the state storage unit 101, and determines whether or not the state information indicates an input state (step S3). When the state transition unit 103 determines that the state information indicates a non-input state (step S3: NO), the state transition unit 103 rewrites the state information stored in the state storage unit 101 into the input state (step S4). Next, the display part 106 reads the coordinate information which the coordinate detection part 102 acquired by step S2 (step S5). Further, the display unit 106 reads the key arrangement information and the input value table from the key arrangement storage unit 104 (step S6), and reads the key interval from the key interval setting unit 105 (step S7).

  Then, the display unit 106 displays the key arrangement on the display 120 based on the key arrangement information read in step S6 and the key interval read in step S7, using the coordinates read in step S5 as a reference point (step S8). It returns to step S1 and waits for the next contact. Each key displays an input value corresponding to the input value ID included in the key arrangement information stored in the input value table read in step S6.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a key layout on the information terminal 100.
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the information terminal 100 is held with one hand and the user touches the touch panel 130 with the thumb, the point is the key of the input value ID “4” (“5” key). ) Is displayed on the display 120. Further, in the case of hiragana input, as shown in FIG. 6C, the keypad layout of the numeric keypad with the point touching the thumb as the center of the “NA” key is displayed on the display 120.

  On the other hand, when the state transition unit 103 determines in step S3 that the state information indicates an input state (step S3: YES), the input unit 107 reads the coordinate information acquired by the coordinate detection unit 102 in step S2 ( Step S9). Further, the display unit 106 reads the key arrangement information and the input value table from the key arrangement storage unit 104 (step S10), and reads the key interval from the key interval setting unit 105 (step S11).

  Next, the input unit 107 specifies a coordinate range associated with each key based on the key arrangement information read in step S10 and the key interval read in step S11 (step S12). For example, if the key arrangement information is the same as that shown in FIG. 3A and the key interval indicates “5”, the coordinate range of the input value ID “0” has an X coordinate of −15 to −5 and a Y coordinate of -15 to -5. In this manner, the input unit 107 specifies the coordinate range of each key by substituting the key interval for “s” shown in FIG.

Next, the input unit 107 determines whether or not the coordinate information read in step S9 is included in any of the coordinate ranges specified in step S12 (step S13). If the input unit 107 determines that the coordinate information read in step S9 is not included in any of the coordinate ranges specified in step S12 (step S13: NO), the input unit 107 returns to step S1 and waits for another contact. .
On the other hand, if the input unit 107 determines that the coordinate information read in step S9 is included in any of the coordinate ranges specified in step S12 (step S13: YES), the input unit 107 corresponds to the input value ID indicated by the coordinate range. The input value to be read is read from the input value table read in step S10, and the input value is output to the application unit 108 (step S14).
Note that the input value determined in step S14 is displayed in the key layout in step S8, and coincides with the input value drawn on the key touched by the user's finger.

  When the input unit 107 outputs the input value to the application unit 108 in step S14, it is determined whether or not the input requested by the application unit 108 has been completed by the input (step S15). For example, when the application unit 108 accepts input of a four-digit numerical value, the input of the fourth digit is completed, or the user presses the input completion button 140. If the input acceptance by the application unit 108 has not been completed (step S15: NO), the process returns to step S1 and waits for the next contact. On the other hand, when the input acceptance by the application unit 108 is completed (step S15: YES), the information terminal 100 ends the input operation.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the input unit 107 determines the relationship between the coordinate position and the input value using the coordinates when the touch panel 130 is first touched in the non-input state as a reference point. This eliminates the need to move the finger while touching the touch panel 130. In addition, since the finger is not moved while touching the touch panel 130, the user can recognize the coordinate position for inputting a desired input value from the position touching the touch panel 130 without checking the screen.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the key arrangement information stored in the key arrangement storage unit 104 is expressed by a constant multiple of a predetermined key interval, and the key interval setting unit 105 is based on an input from the user. Change the key interval. Thereby, the user can set the key interval according to the size of each hand, and the size of the key arrangement can be made suitable for the user.

<< Second Embodiment >>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The information terminal 100 according to the second embodiment does not include the display unit 106 of the information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, in 2nd Embodiment, the process of step S5-step S8 in 1st Embodiment is not performed. Accordingly, the information terminal 100 can accept input from the user without hiding the screen of the application executed by the application unit 108 by not displaying the key layout on the display 120. Further, according to the present embodiment, the input unit 107 touches the touch panel 130 in order to determine the relationship between the coordinate position and the input value using the coordinates when the touch panel 130 is first touched in the non-input state as a reference point. The coordinate position for inputting a desired input value can be recognized from the determined position. Therefore, the user can input a desired input value even if the key arrangement is not displayed on the display 120.

<< Third Embodiment >>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The touch panel 130 of the information terminal 100 according to the third embodiment is based on a method capable of recognizing multi-touch (a plurality of points are simultaneously touched by a user) such as a capacitance method. The display unit 106 and the input unit 107 execute different processes depending on whether the screen touches at one point or two points. Specifically, the following processing is executed.

The key layout storage unit 104 of the information terminal 100 according to the third embodiment stores the key layout of the QWERTY keyboard in addition to the numeric keypad key layout similar to the first embodiment.
When the state information stored in the state storage unit 101 indicates a non-input state, when the coordinate detection unit 102 detects one coordinate, the display unit 106 and the input unit 107 are similar to the first embodiment. Start input using the numeric keypad. On the other hand, when the state information stored in the state storage unit 101 indicates a non-input state, when the coordinate detection unit 102 detects the coordinates of two points, the display unit 106 and the input unit 107 have a key layout corresponding to the QWERTY keyboard. Start typing with.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the QWERTY key array on the information terminal 100.
As shown in FIG. 7, when the user touches the touch panel 130 with two points (in the example shown in FIG. 7, the index finger of both hands), the display unit 106 and the input unit 107 are arranged from the key arrangement storage unit 104 to the key arrangement of the QWERTY keyboard The key arrangement is determined so that the left point of the two points corresponds to the “F” key and the right point corresponds to the “J” key. In this case, since the key interval is determined based on the interval between the two points, the key interval is not read from the key interval setting unit 105.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the display unit 106 displays the key layout of the QWERTY keyboard on the display 120 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as in the second embodiment, the display unit 106 is not provided. Also good. In the present embodiment, the left point of the two points corresponds to the “F” key, and the right point corresponds to the “J” key. Therefore, when the index fingers of both hands touch the touch panel 130, both index fingers of the QWERTY keyboard It will be in the home position. Accordingly, the user can recognize the positions of other keys even if the key arrangement is not displayed on the display 120.

<< Fourth Embodiment >>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an information terminal 100 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
The information terminal 100 according to the fourth embodiment further includes a cross key 150, a stereo speaker 160, a monaural speaker 170, and a camera 180 in addition to the information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment.
In recent information terminals 100, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like is used to detect the tilt of the terminal, and when the casing 110 is rotated, the screen displayed on the display 120 is rotated according to the orientation. There is something. For example, the information terminal 100 as shown in FIG. 8 can be held like a game machine using the cross key 150 and the button 140 by rotating 90 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the normal position of the drawing. it can. Further, by rotating it 90 degrees to the right, it can be held like a music player with a pair of stereo speakers 160 facing downward. However, the length from the lower end of the display 120 to the lower end of the housing 110 changes depending on how it is held, and the thickness and weight of a battery storage unit (not shown) provided on the back surface of the housing 110 causes the housing 110 to Since the holding method changes, the range in which the finger can be moved differs depending on how the housing 110 is held.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the information terminal 100 that corrects the position of the key arrangement according to the inclination will be described.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the information terminal 100 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
The information terminal 100 according to the embodiment of FIG. 4 includes an inclination detection unit 109 in addition to the information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment, and the operations of the key interval setting unit 105, the input unit 107, and the display unit 106 are different. is there.
The tilt detection unit 109 is configured by an acceleration sensor or the like, and detects the tilt of the casing 110 by calculating the direction of gravitational acceleration applied to the casing 110.
The key interval setting unit 105 sets a key interval for every 90 degrees of inclination of the housing 110. That is, the key interval setting unit 105 is configured such that the key interval when the inclination of the casing 110 is 0 degrees, the key interval when the inclination of the casing 110 is 90 degrees, and the key interval when the inclination of the casing 110 is 180 degrees. The key interval when the inclination of the casing 110 is 270 degrees is set. In addition, the key interval at this time is set to a predetermined value so as to guide the user to the proper holding method so as not to be a strange holding method or a dangerous holding method in consideration of the shape and weight balance of the casing 110 in advance. You may make it do.
The display unit 106 and the input unit 107 read the key interval associated with the angle closest to the inclination detected by the inclination detection unit 109 from the key interval setting unit 105, and perform input processing and display processing. For example, when the inclination detection unit 109 detects an inclination of 80 degrees, the display unit 106 and the input unit 107 read the key interval associated with 90 degrees from the inclination detection unit 109, and perform input processing and display processing. In addition, the display unit 106 and the input unit 107 perform display processing and a direction near the inclination detected by the inclination detection unit 109 among 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees as the positive direction (downward) of the Y axis. Perform input processing.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the key interval setting unit 105 sets each inclination and the key interval in association with each other has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and accepts the setting of the key interval from the user when the inclination changes. You may do it.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is possible to

  The information terminal 100 described above has a computer system inside. The operation of each processing unit described above is stored in a computer-readable recording medium in the form of a program, and the above processing is performed by the computer reading and executing this program. Here, the computer-readable recording medium means a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Alternatively, the computer program may be distributed to the computer via a communication line, and the computer that has received the distribution may execute the program.

  The program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. Furthermore, what can implement | achieve the function mentioned above in combination with the program already recorded on the computer system, and what is called a difference file (difference program) may be sufficient.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Information terminal 101 ... State memory | storage part 102 ... Coordinate detection part 103 ... State transition part 104 ... Key arrangement memory | storage part 105 ... Key space | interval setting part 106 ... Display part 107 ... Input part 108 ... Application part 110 ... Housing | casing 120 ... Display 130 ... Touch panel 140 ... Button

Claims (7)

An information terminal that accepts input from a touch panel,
A state storage unit that stores state information indicating whether it is an input state that accepts input from a user or a non-input state that does not accept input;
A coordinate detection unit for detecting coordinates touched by the user on the touch panel;
A state transition unit that rewrites the state information stored in the state storage unit to an input state when the coordinate detection unit detects a coordinate when the state information stored in the state storage unit indicates a non-input state; ,
A tilt detector for detecting the tilt of the housing;
When the state information stored in the state storage unit indicates an input state, when the coordinate detection unit detects coordinates, the state information stored in the state storage unit is in a non-input state. An input unit that determines the input value based on the relative position of the coordinate detected by the coordinate detection unit this time, with the coordinate detected by the coordinate detection unit as a reference point;
A key interval setting unit that sets an interval between keys in a key arrangement indicating a relationship between coordinates of the touch panel and an input value by the input unit according to a tilt of the housing;
An information terminal comprising: a display unit that displays the key arrangement when the state transition unit rewrites state information into an input state . The input unit determines the input value based on a relative position from the reference point represented by a constant multiple of a unit length;
The information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a unit length setting unit that receives the setting of the unit length. When the coordinate detection unit detects the coordinates of one point when the state information stored in the state storage unit is in a non-input state, the input unit calculates the input value based on a positional relationship corresponding to a numeric keypad. The information terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the information terminal is determined. When the state information stored in the state storage unit is in a non-input state, the input unit detects the input value based on a positional relationship corresponding to a QWERTY keyboard when the coordinate detection unit detects two coordinates. The information terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the information terminal is determined. Wherein the input unit, the direction of inclination of the tilt detecting section detects based on the coordinate system and a downward direction, in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that to determine the input value The described information terminal. An input method using an information terminal including a state storage unit that stores state information indicating whether an input state for accepting an input from a user or a non-input state for not accepting an input, and accepting an input by a touch panel ,
The coordinate detection unit detects the coordinates touched by the user on the touch panel,
When the state transition unit indicates that the state information stored in the state storage unit is a non-input state, the state transition unit stores the state information stored in the state storage unit in the input state when the coordinate detection unit detects a coordinate. Rewrite,
The tilt detection unit detects the tilt of the housing,
The input unit indicates that the state information stored in the state storage unit is in a non-input state when the coordinate detection unit detects coordinates when the state information stored in the state storage unit indicates an input state. The coordinate detection unit detects a reference point, and the coordinate detection unit determines an input value based on the relative position of the coordinate detected this time ,
The key interval setting unit sets the interval between each key in the key arrangement indicating the relationship between the coordinates of the touch panel and the input value by the input unit according to the inclination of the housing,
The display unit displays the key arrangement when the state transition unit rewrites state information into an input state . An information terminal that includes a state storage unit that stores state information indicating whether it is an input state that accepts input from a user or a non-input state that does not accept input, and that accepts input from a touch panel,
A coordinate detection unit for detecting coordinates touched by a user on the touch panel;
When the state information stored in the state storage unit indicates a non-input state, when the coordinate detection unit detects coordinates, the state transition unit rewrites the state information stored in the state storage unit into an input state,
A tilt detector that detects the tilt of the housing;
When the state information stored in the state storage unit indicates an input state, when the coordinate detection unit detects coordinates, the state information stored in the state storage unit is in a non-input state. An input unit that determines an input value based on a relative position of the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit this time, using the coordinates detected by the coordinate detection unit as a reference point;
A key interval setting unit that sets an interval between keys in a key arrangement indicating a relationship between coordinates of the touch panel and an input value by the input unit according to a tilt of the housing;
A program for causing the state transition unit to function as a display unit for displaying the key arrangement when the state information is rewritten into an input state .

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