JP2000172436A - Driver for joy stick and mouse, driving method for joy stick and mouse, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology which can integrate peripheral devices for input. SOLUTION: A changeover button switch 46 is provided on the top surface of a unit 44 which is used as a mouser or a joy stick according to the switching state of the changeover button switch 46. By the indication of an I/O process part 42, a movement direction and a movement amount inputted is stored in a storage part 30 for the mouse when the changeover button switch is not pressed, and a movement direction and a movement amount inputted is stored in a storage part 36 for the joy stick when the changeover button switch is pressed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a joystick / mouse driver having both functions of a mouse and a joystick as input devices for a computer, a driving method, and a recording medium on which a program for the joystick is recorded.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, personal computers have been reduced in size and weight. Particularly, in a so-called notebook personal computer, a configuration in which a keyboard is integrated has become common. On the other hand, some application software executed on a computer requires a mouse as an input peripheral device, and some requires a joystick. Therefore, a typical personal computer is provided with connection terminals for connecting input peripheral devices other than a keyboard as necessary, and drivers for the peripheral devices, respectively, for each peripheral device.

Here, an example of a conventional joystick driver and a conventional mouse driver will be described with reference to a functional block diagram of FIG. First, the mouse driver 12 will be described. The mouse driver 12 includes a mouse upper I / F processing unit 26, an I / O processing unit 28, and a storage unit 30. The moving direction and the moving amount of the mouse 16 are transmitted to the I / O processing unit 2 via the mouse controller 14.
8 is input. The moving direction and the moving amount are usually input as the moving amounts in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

[0004] The I / O processing unit 28 causes the storage unit 30 to store the input moving direction and moving amount. The storage unit 30 is provided with an area (MX) for storing the amount of movement in the X-axis direction and an area (MY) for storing the amount of movement in the Y-axis direction. Then, the moving direction and the moving amount stored in the storage unit 30 are transferred to the mouse class driver 10 by the mouse upper I / F processing unit 26.

Next, the joystick driver 20 will be described. This joystick driver 20
A joystick upper I / F processing unit 32, an I / O processing unit 34, and a storage unit 36 are provided. Then, the moving direction and the moving amount of the joystick 24, that is, the tilting direction and the tilting amount (angle / time) are input to the I / O processing unit 34 via the joystick controller 22. The tilt direction and the tilt amount are usually input as the tilt amounts in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

[0006] The I / O processing unit 34 causes the storage unit 36 to store the input tilt direction and tilt amount. The storage unit 36 has an area (JX) for storing the amount of tilt in the X-axis direction and an area (JY) for storing the amount of tilt in the Y-axis direction. The tilt direction and the tilt amount stored in the storage unit 36 are determined by the joystick upper I / F processing unit 32.
The data is transferred to the joystick driver 18. As described above, conventionally, a mouse driver and a joystick driver are separately provided and operated individually.

[0007]

For this reason, there are cases where both a mouse and a joystick as input peripheral devices are simultaneously connected to a personal computer.
In such a case, the mouse and the joystick occupy the periphery of the personal computer, even though the mouse and the joystick are not used at the same time.

[0008] In addition, although the size and weight of personal computers have recently been reduced, it is considered difficult to further reduce the size of input peripheral devices such as mice from the viewpoint of usability. Also,
Attempting to purchase both a mouse and a joystick device requires a purchase cost for each device, which is expensive.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a technique capable of integrating input peripheral devices.

[0010]

In order to achieve this object, the inventor of the present invention has made various studies, and as a result,
It is noted that both the joystick and the mouse are devices that measure the amount of movement in two directions orthogonal to each other, that is, in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. And the present inventor:
By integrating the joystick driver system and the mouse driver system, the inventor thought that the joystick and the mouse could be integrated into a single joystick mouse.

(Joystick / Mouse Driver) According to the joystick / mouse driver of the present invention, a mouse storage area for storing the moving direction and the moving amount of the joystick / mouse as a mouse is provided. A joystick storage unit for storing a moving direction and a moving amount as a joystick,
A mouse upper I / F processing unit that transfers the moving direction and the moving amount stored in the mouse storage unit to the mouse class driver, and a joystick that transfers the moving direction and the moving amount stored in the joystick storage unit to the joystick class driver. The moving direction and the moving amount of the upper I / F processing unit and the joystick / mouse are input via the mouse controller, and it is determined whether the moving direction and the moving amount are the moving direction and the moving amount of the mouse or the joystick. When the moving direction and the moving amount as the mouse are used, the moving direction and the moving amount are stored in the mouse storage unit, and when the moving direction and the moving amount as the joystick are used, the moving direction and the moving amount are used. A configuration having an I / O processing unit to be stored in the joystick storage unit; And Aru.

Thus, the joystick of the present invention
According to the mouse / driver, in the I / O processing unit,
It is determined whether the moving direction and the moving amount input from the mouse controller are as a mouse or a joystick, and are stored in respective storage areas.
For this reason, one joystick / mouse can be used as an input peripheral device for both the mouse and the joystick.

As a result, since it is not necessary to connect both the mouse and the joystick to the personal computer at the same time, it is possible to save space for peripheral devices. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to purchase both a mouse and a joystick device, and only a joystick mouse can be purchased, the purchase cost can be reduced.

In a personal computer,
Since the connection terminal and the driver for the mouse and the connection terminal and the driver for the joystick can be integrated, the size and weight of the personal computer can be further reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the I / O
The O processing unit is configured to detect a switching state of an operation mode switch provided on the joystick / mouse when determining whether the moving direction and the moving amount are the moving direction and the moving amount of the mouse or the joystick. There is. With such a configuration, the joystick and the mouse can be easily used properly by operating the changeover switch of the joystick / mouse.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the changeover switch is a push button switch of a joystick / mouse, and the I / O processing unit performs the operation when the changeover switch is switched to the joystick side. The configuration is such that the direction and amount of movement of the joystick / mouse are detected as the tilt direction and tilt amount of the joystick. With such a configuration, the operation as a joystick can be easily realized with the joystick / mouse.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the I / O
The O processing unit is configured to detect a pressed state of a specific key on a keyboard when determining whether the movement amount is a movement amount of a mouse or a joystick. With this configuration, the user can easily use the joystick and the mouse by pressing a specific key on the keyboard.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the I / O
The O processing unit is configured to detect the direction and amount of movement of the joystick / multipurpose mouse when the specific key is pressed on the joystick side as the tilt direction and tilt amount of the joystick. With such a configuration, the operation as a joystick can be easily realized with the joystick / mouse.

According to the joystick / mouse driving method of the present invention, the moving direction and the moving amount of the joystick / mouse input via the mouse controller are the same as those of the joystick / mouse driving method. And the direction and amount of movement as either of the joystick and
If the moving direction and the moving amount as the mouse are, the moving direction and the moving amount are stored in the storage unit for the mouse, and if the moving direction and the moving amount as the joystick, the moving direction and the moving amount are used for the joystick. This is a method of storing the information in the storage unit.

Thus, the joystick of the present invention
According to the mouse / drive method, the I / O processing unit determines whether the moving direction and the moving amount input from the mouse controller are a mouse or a joystick, and stores them in individual storage areas. I do. For this reason, one joystick / mouse can be used as an input peripheral device for both the mouse and the joystick.

(Recording Medium) According to the recording medium of the present invention, the moving direction and the moving amount of the joystick / mouse input to the computer via the mouse controller can be either a mouse or a joystick. The moving direction and the moving amount of the mouse, and if the moving direction and the moving amount as the mouse,
The moving direction and the moving amount are stored in the mouse storage unit,
When the moving direction and the moving amount are the joystick, a program for storing the moving direction and the moving amount in the joystick storage unit and realizing the function as the joystick / mouse driver is recorded.

As described above, by causing the computer to execute the program recorded on the recording medium of the present invention,
The driver for the joystick and the driver for the mouse can be integrated and operated in the driver for both the stick and the mouse. As a result, the input peripheral device for both the mouse and the joystick can be integrated into a single joystick mouse.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the processing of the joystick / mouse combined drive method in each of the following embodiments is executed by a computer controlled by a program. This program is provided, for example, by a recording medium. As the recording medium, for example, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or any other computer-readable medium can be used.

[First Embodiment] First, referring to FIG.
The configuration of the joystick / mouse driver according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram for explaining the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the joystick / mouse combined driver 40 of the present embodiment includes a storage unit 38, a mouse upper I / F processing unit 26,
A joystick upper I / F processing unit 32 and an I / O processing unit 42 are provided.

The storage section 38 includes a mouse storage section 30 and a joystick storage section 36. The mouse storage unit 30 is an area for storing the moving direction and the moving amount of the joystick / mouse 44 as a mouse. Here, the direction and amount of movement as a mouse are
The movement amount in the X-axis direction (MX) and the movement amount in the Y-axis direction (M
Y) and memorize them separately.

The joystick storage unit 36
This is an area for storing a moving direction and a moving amount as a joystick. Here, the moving direction and the moving amount of the joystick, that is, the tilting direction and the tilting amount are represented by X
The movement amount in the axial direction (JX) and the movement amount in the Y-axis direction (J
Y) and memorize them separately.

The mouse upper I / F processing unit 26 transfers the movement direction and the movement amount stored in the mouse storage unit 30 to the mouse class driver 10. Further, the joystick upper I / F processing unit 32 transfers the moving direction and the moving amount stored in the joystick storage unit 36 to the joystick class driver.

Then, the I / O processing unit 42 determines whether the moving direction and the moving amount of the joystick / multipurpose mouse 44 input from the mouse controller 14 are a mouse or a joystick. . In the present embodiment, a switching button switch 46 is provided on the upper surface of the joystick / multipurpose mouse 44, and depending on the switching state of the switching button switch 46,
Use the mouse and joystick properly.

For example, a joystick / multipurpose mouse 44
In the state where the changeover button switch 46 is pressed,
It may be a joystick and a mouse when the switch button switch 46 is not pressed. Then, for example, once the switch button switch 46 is pressed, it is preferable to keep the pressed state until it is pressed next time.

Further, if the input moving direction and moving amount are the moving direction and moving amount as a mouse, the I / O processing unit 42 stores the inputted moving direction and moving amount in the mouse storing unit 30 of the storing unit 38. Remember. On the other hand, the I / O processing unit 42
Is the joystick movement direction and movement amount, and stores them in the joystick storage unit 36 of the storage unit 38.

Next, an example of the processing operation of the joystick / mouse driver of the present embodiment, that is, an example of the joystick / mouse drive method will be described. Here, the processing operation will be described separately for lower processing and higher processing.

First, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
An operation example of the lower processing will be described. The lower processing is started when the operating system of the personal computer calls the I / O processing unit 42 of the joystick / mouse driver 40 (S1 in FIG. 2).
The called I / O processing unit 42 reads the X-axis direction movement amount and the Y-axis direction movement amount of the joystick / mouse 44 from the mouse controller 14 (S2 in FIG. 2).

Further, the I / O processing unit 42 checks the switching state of the switch button 46 of the joystick / mouse 44 (S3 in FIG. 2). As a result of the check,
When the switching state is “ON”, that is, when the operation is switched to the operation as a joystick, the I / O
The processing unit 42 stores “M” in the mouse storage unit 30 of the storage unit 38.
“0” is set to “X” and “MY” (S4 in FIG. 2).

Subsequently, the I / O processing section 42 compares the input X-axis and Y-axis movement amounts with the values of “JX” and “JY” in the joystick storage section 36 of the storage section 38. (S5 in FIG. 2). Here, if the movement amount in the X-axis and Y-axis directions does not match the value of “JX” or “JY”, X
It is further checked whether the movement amount of the axis and the Y axis is “0” (S6 in FIG. 2). If the X-axis and Y-axis movement amounts are not “0”, the X-axis movement amount and the Y-axis movement amount are set to “JX” or “JY”, respectively (S7 in FIG. 2).

If the result of the check in step S 3 indicates that the switching state is “OFF”, that is, if the operation has been switched to a mouse operation, the I / O processing unit 42 “MX” in the storage unit 30
In addition, the X-axis direction movement amount and the Y-axis direction movement amount are stored in “MY”, and “0” is set in “JX” and “JY” (S8 in FIG. 2).

Next, an example of the operation of the upper processing will be described. First, an operation example of the upper processing of the mouse will be described. The processing operation as a mouse is started when the application layer calls the mouse class driver 10 through the operating system. The called mouse class driver 10 is the mouse upper I / F processing unit 2 of the joystick / mouse driver 40.
6 is further called.

The mouse upper I / F processing unit 26
“MX” and “M” in the mouse storage unit 30 of the storage unit 38
The value of “Y” is read and transferred to the mouse class driver 10. The mouse class driver 10 further transfers the transferred values of “MX” and “MY” to the application layer through the operating system.

Next, an example of the operation of the joystick high-order processing will be described. The processing operation of the joystick
The application layer is started by calling the joystick class driver 18 through the operating system. The called joystick class driver 18 is a joystick host I / F processing unit 32 of the joystick / mouse driver 40.
Call more.

Then, the joystick upper I / F processing section 32 stores the joystick storage section 36 of the storage section 38.
The values of “JX” and “JY” are read and transferred to the joystick class driver 18. The joystick class driver 18 further transfers the transferred values of “JX” and “JY” to the application layer through the operating system. In this way, the operation of the upper processing is performed.

Next, a more specific processing operation example when the joystick / mouse 44 is used as a joystick will be described. Here, an example of the operation of “tilt the stick to the upper right (operation 1), continue to tilt it for a while (operation 2), and return to the center (operation 3)” will be described.

To perform this operation, the user (operator) of the joystick / mouse 44 first slides the joystick / mouse 44 to the upper right while pressing the switch button switch 46 and stops at a desired position (operation 1). At this time, in steps S5 to S7 of the lower processing, the movement direction of the joystick / multipurpose mouse 44 is stored as the X-axis movement amount and the Y-axis movement amount in “JX” and “JY”. Then, by the operation of the higher-level processing, the application layer sets the “JX” and “JY”
And recognizes that the joystick has tilted to the upper right.

Subsequently, after the operator stops the joystick / multipurpose mouse 44, the operator continues to operate the changeover button switch 46.
Press and hold (operation 2). At this time, while the switch button switch 46 is being pressed, step S
The values of “JX” and “JY” are stored through 5 to S7. Then, due to the operation of the higher-level processing, the application layer receives the values of “JX” and “JY”, and recognizes that the joystick continues to tilt to the upper right.

Thereafter, the operator releases the switch button switch 46 which has been kept pressed (operation 3). At this time, “JX” and “J
The value of “Y” is set to “0”. Then, due to the upper processing operation, the application layer obtains (JX, JY) =
(0, 0) is picked up, and it is recognized that the joystick has returned to the center.

Next, a more specific processing operation example when the joystick / multipurpose mouse 44 is used as a mouse will be described. In this case, the mouse is used in the same manner as a conventional mouse with the switch button switch 46 released. For example, when performing the operation of “moving the mouse to the upper right (operation 4)”, the joystick / multipurpose mouse 44 is moved to a desired upper right position in the same manner as a normal mouse with the switch button switch 46 released. Just do it.

At this time, in step S8 (FIG. 2) of the lower processing, the moving direction of the joystick / multipurpose mouse 44 is changed to “MX” and “MY” by the moving amount in the X-axis direction and
Stored as the amount of axial movement. Then, due to the operation of the higher-level processing, the application layer receives the values of “MX” and “MY” and recognizes that the mouse has moved to the upper right.

As described above, the I / O processing unit 42 determines information input from the mouse controller 14 and distributes and inputs the information to the mouse storage unit 30 or the joystick storage unit 36. The mouse and joystick can be integrated and handled by the mouse / driver. As a result, the mouse and the joystick, which have conventionally been separate input peripheral devices, can be integrated as a joystick / mouse.

As a result, since it is not necessary to connect both the mouse and the joystick to the personal computer at the same time, it is possible to save space for peripheral devices. Furthermore, as a joystick / mouse, for example, if a conventional mouse with three click buttons is used,
Since there is no need to purchase a joystick, the purchase cost can be reduced.

In a personal computer,
Since the connection terminal and the driver for the mouse and the connection terminal and the driver for the joystick can be integrated into the joystick / mouse driver, the size and weight of the personal computer can be further reduced.

[Second Embodiment] Next, referring to FIG.
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG.
Joystick / Mouse Driver 40 of Embodiment
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram for explaining the configuration of FIG.

In the joystick / mouse driver 40a according to the second embodiment, the I / O processing unit 42a determines whether the movement amount is the movement amount of the mouse or the joystick.
6 (see FIG. 1), the state of pressing the space key (SPKEY) of the keyboard 58 is detected. As described above, in the second embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a switch button switch on the joystick / multipurpose mouse 16, so that a conventionally available two-button mouse can be used.

The space key (S) on the keyboard 58
PKEY) is pressed by the keyboard controller 56
Then, the data is sequentially stored in the storage unit 60 of the filter driver 52 via the keyboard driver 54. This storage unit 60
Is transferred to the keyboard class driver 50 and also to the I / O processing unit 42a.

Then, the I / O processing unit 42 switches the storage destination of the movement amount according to the pressed state of the space key, as in the first embodiment. For example, the moving direction and the moving amount of the joystick / multipurpose mouse 16 when the space key is pressed,
While detecting the tilt direction and the amount of tilt as the joystick, the amount of movement when the space key is not pressed is detected as the amount of movement as a mouse.

The specific operation method of the joystick / mouse in the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the space key of the keyboard 58 is operated instead of the changeover button switch 46 of the joystick / mouse 44. , And the same as the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, a function as a joystick can be given to a normal two-button mouse.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is configured under specific conditions has been described. However, the present invention can be variously modified. For example, in the above-described first embodiment, an example in which the switch button switch 46 is provided on the upper surface of the joystick / mouse 44 has been described. However, in the present invention, the arrangement position of the switch button switch is not limited to the upper surface of the mouse. For example, a changeover button switch may be provided on the side of the mouse, especially on the position where the thumb touches. Further, for example, in the above-described second embodiment, an example in which the space key is used as the specific key of the keyboard has been described. However, in the present invention, the specific key is not limited to the space key. Can be used as a key.

[0055]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in the I / O processing unit, whether the moving direction and the moving amount input from the mouse controller are a mouse or a joystick is determined. Judge and store them in individual storage areas. For this reason, one joystick / mouse can be used as an input peripheral device for both the mouse and the joystick.

As a result, it is not necessary to connect both the mouse and the joystick to the personal computer at the same time. Therefore, it is possible to save space for peripheral devices. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to purchase both a mouse and a joystick device, and only a joystick mouse can be purchased, the purchase cost can be reduced.

In a personal computer,
Since the connection terminal and the driver for the mouse and the connection terminal and the driver for the joystick can be integrated, the size and weight of the personal computer can be further reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a joystick / mouse driver according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a joystick / mouse combined drive method according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a joystick / mouse driver according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram for explaining the configuration of a conventional joystick driver and mouse driver.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 mouse class driver 12 mouse driver 14 mouse controller 16 mouse 18 joystick class driver 20 joystick driver 22 joystick controller 24 joystick 26 mouse upper I / F processing unit 28 I / O processing unit 30 storage unit 32 joystick upper I / F processing unit 34 I / O processing unit 36 Storage unit 38 Storage unit 40, 40a Joystick / mouse driver 42, 42a I / O processing unit 44 Mouse 46 Switching button 50 Keyboard class driver 52 Filter driver 54 Keyboard driver 56 Keyboard controller 58 Keyboard 60 Storage unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toshiaki Miyagi 5-7-1 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo F-term in NEC Corporation (reference) 5B087 AA00 AA09 AB02 BB05 BB12 BB13 BB21 BC02 BC16 BC17 BC19 BC26 DD03

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A mouse storage unit for storing a moving direction and a moving amount of a joystick / mouse as a mouse; a joystick storing unit for storing a moving direction and a moving amount of a joystick; A mouse upper I / F processing unit that transfers the stored moving direction and moving amount to the mouse class driver; and a joystick upper I / F that transfers the moving direction and moving amount stored in the joystick storage unit to the joystick class driver. A processing unit, a moving direction and a moving amount of the joystick / multipurpose mouse are input via a mouse controller, and the moving direction and the moving amount are determined to be a moving direction and a moving amount as a mouse or a joystick; If the movement direction and the movement amount as The movement direction and the movement amount is stored into the mouse storage unit, when a moving direction and a moving amount of the joystick,
An I / O processing unit for storing the moving direction and the moving amount in the joystick storage unit. 2. An operation mode provided in the joystick / mouse, wherein the I / O processing unit determines whether the moving direction and the moving amount are the moving direction and the moving amount as a mouse or a joystick. The joystick / multipurpose mouse according to claim 1, wherein the switching state of the selector switch is detected. 3. The switch for use as a push button switch of the joystick / mouse, wherein the I / O processing unit is configured to move the joystick / mouse when the changeover switch is switched to the joystick side. The joystick / multipurpose mouse according to claim 2, wherein the tilt and the tilt are detected as a joystick tilt direction and a tilt amount. 4. The I / O processing unit detects a pressed state of a specific key on a keyboard when determining whether the movement amount is a movement amount of a mouse or a joystick. The joystick / mouse as described in 1 above. 5. The I / O processing unit detects a direction and an amount of movement of the joystick / multipurpose mouse when the specific key is pressed on the joystick side as a tilt direction and a tilt amount as a joystick. The joystick / multipurpose mouse according to claim 4, characterized in that: 6. A moving direction and a moving amount as a mouse are determined by judging whether a moving direction and a moving amount of the joystick / mouse input through a mouse controller are a moving direction and a moving amount as a mouse or a joystick. When the amount is the amount, the moving direction and the moving amount are stored in the mouse storage unit, and when the amount is the joystick moving direction and the moving amount, the moving direction and the moving amount are stored in the joystick storage unit. A joystick / mouse combined drive method characterized by the following. 7. A computer which determines whether the moving direction and the moving amount of the joystick / mouse input through the mouse controller are the moving direction and the moving amount of the mouse or the joystick, and moves the computer. In the case of the direction and the movement amount, the movement direction and the movement amount are stored in the storage unit for the mouse, and in the case of the movement direction and the movement amount as the joystick, the movement direction and the movement amount are stored in the storage unit for the joystick. A recording medium on which a program for storing and realizing a function as a joystick / mouse driver is recorded.