JP2003256133A - Device for converting display image into sensation stimulus quantity, and mouse for personal computer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for converting a display image into a sensation stimulus quantity, enabling a visually handicapped person or the like to easily operate by converting an image part indicated with an operation pointer through a mouse, or with a cursor operated from a keyboard. <P>SOLUTION: This device for converting the display image into the sensation stimulus quantity is provided with an output means for outputting the image part of a prescribed region including the pointed part of the image displayed on a display device, as data information, and a converting means for converting the data information outputted by the output means, into the sensation stimulus quantity. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display image / sensory quantity conversion device, and more particularly to a personal computer mouse having a mechanism for stimulating a skin sensation. Display image of the present invention /
Since the sensory quantity conversion device is preferably applied to a personal computer mouse, the following description will be made in relation to the personal computer mouse, but the present invention is not limited to the personal computer mouse.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional mouse for a personal computer has a button for clicking or has a scroll function added. A mouse is a data input device for pointing and moving a mouse cursor (pointer) displayed on a monitor screen, and has provided epoch-making convenience.

[0003]

However, the mouse is moved by looking at the cursor position on the monitor screen and clicking the button. For beginners of mouse operation and elderly users with impaired eyesight, the position is the same. In some cases, it was difficult to align the mouse, and the mouse could not be moved to the desired position, or the mouse was misaligned when clicked and clicked in another part. In addition, people with severe visual impairment cannot operate the mouse while looking at the monitor,
At present, we are waiting for the development of the voice guidance function of personal computers, and many problems still remain for more people to use the personal computers and enjoy the convenience of IT.

Therefore, according to the present invention, by converting the image portion pointed by the operation pointer with the mouse or the cursor operated from the keyboard into the amount of sensory stimulus, the visually impaired person can easily operate the display image / It is to provide a sensory stimulus amount conversion device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mouse which can be easily operated by a beginner of mouse operation, an elderly user who has poor eyesight, and a visually impaired person who is severely visually impaired.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, firstly, an output means for outputting, as data information, an image part of a predetermined area including a part pointing to an image displayed on a display device. And a display image / sensory stimulus amount conversion device, which comprises: and a conversion unit for converting the data information output by the output unit into a sensory stimulus amount.

Secondly, the present invention is the display image / sensory stimulus amount conversion device of the first invention, wherein the display device is a monitor connected to a personal computer body and displays data output from the personal computer. Yes, the image part output as data information is pointed by the pointer according to the instruction from the mouse connected to the PC body, and / or the cursor is pointed by the instruction from the keyboard connected to the PC body. The display image / sensory stimulus amount conversion device is adopted.

[0008] More specifically, the present inventor has made a plurality of planar elements arranged in a matrix on a portion of the surface of the mouse having a mechanism capable of stimulating the skin sensation when the mouse is grasped. Incorporating a device arranged in the above, and enabling the array element of the device to adjust the stimulus amount according to the dot information around the mouse cursor on the personal computer monitor screen, and to obtain the information on the personal computer monitor screen as if the user holds the mouse. We have developed a personal computer mouse that enables

That is, the present invention thirdly, in a mouse for a personal computer having a click button, an element having a mechanism capable of stimulating a skin sensation when the mouse is grasped at an arbitrary portion on the surface of the mouse. Incorporating a device in which a plurality of are arranged in a matrix in a plane, and the array element of the device is capable of adjusting the stimulus amount according to the dot information around the mouse cursor on the personal computer monitor screen. .

Fourthly, the present invention is characterized in that a device in which a plurality of elements having a mechanism capable of stimulating a skin sensation are arranged in a matrix in a plane also serves as a mouse click button. The personal computer mouse described in the third invention is adopted.

Fifthly, the present invention provides a device in which a plurality of elements having a mechanism capable of stimulating a skin sensation are arranged in a matrix in a plane, and a device for displaying dots on a monitor screen according to a program of a personal computer. Temporarily break the correspondence,
A mouse for a personal computer according to the third and fourth inventions is employed, which is forcibly driven in an array corresponding to a signal from the inside of the personal computer.

Further, in the sixth aspect of the present invention, an element having a mechanism capable of stimulating the skin sensation according to the third aspect of the present invention is a pin driving mechanism capable of moving a pin in the direction perpendicular to a plane by 1 to 3 mm. A personal computer mouse according to a third aspect of the present invention, characterized in that a plurality of the elements are arranged in a matrix in a plane and a device capable of forming a curved surface by a pin head is incorporated.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. If you are unable to move the mouse to the desired position, or if you click on another part because it is misaligned when you click, it is difficult for the beginner mouse operation or the elderly user with poor eyesight to align the position There were many The reason for this is that it is a control system that visually controls the control of the mouse position by hand. Originally, even a beginner of mouse operation or an elderly user with impaired eyesight can easily press buttons and the like that can be directly touched as compared with mouse operation. Therefore, a mouse cursor data input device that can be directly touched is required to obtain easier operability. In order to achieve this, in the present invention, in a mouse for a personal computer having a button to be clicked, an element having a mechanism capable of stimulating a skin sensation when the mouse is gripped is matrixed at an arbitrary portion on the mouse surface. A plurality of devices arranged in a plane were incorporated so that the array element of the device could adjust the stimulus amount according to the dot information around the mouse cursor on the personal computer monitor screen.

Further, a device in which a plurality of elements having a mechanism capable of stimulating the above-mentioned skin sensation are arranged in a matrix in a plane also serves as a mouse click button.

A device in which a plurality of elements having a mechanism capable of stimulating the above-mentioned skin sensation are arranged in a matrix in a plane, temporarily breaks the correspondence with dots on the monitor screen by a program of a personal computer, This is an array drive forcibly corresponding to the signal from the inside of the personal computer.

Furthermore, the element having a mechanism capable of stimulating the skin sensation described above has a pin in the direction perpendicular to the plane.
It is a pin driving element having a pin driving mechanism capable of moving by μ to 3 mm, and is characterized in that a plurality of the elements are arranged in a matrix in a plane and a device capable of forming a curved surface by a pin head is incorporated.

This is to arrange a plurality of pins for driving 1 μ to 3 mm in a direction perpendicular to the plane on an arbitrary portion on the mouse so that the mouse can directly press buttons and the like arranged on the monitor screen. It incorporates an element or device. This driving pin can convert the color information of the dot on the monitor screen into the moving distance from the initial position of the pin, the boundary line around the button on the screen, and the OS of the personal computer that has the window function. In (Operating system), changes in color information such as window borders can be arranged by arranging multiple pins, and the curved surface created by the pin head makes it possible to directly feel the changes with the fingers of the hand, palm, etc. It will assist position control.
In addition, even a visually impaired person can sense the contents of the monitor screen of the personal computer by moving the mouse, and can easily grasp the screen contents even if the function of the voice guide is not sufficient.

The color information of dots on the screen is composed of three parameters corresponding to red (R), green (G) and blue (B), and the pin protrusion on the mouse is one parameter of the protrusion amount. Therefore, in order to convert the color values of the three parameters (three-dimensional data) into the protrusion amount of one parameter (one-dimensional data) of the mouse pin, the following two-step method can be given as an example.

In the first step, RGB three-dimensional color data is converted into one-dimensional data by a process such as extracting only gray scale or a single color such as red. As the second step, there is a case where this one-dimensional data is directly associated with the protrusion amount on the mouse, and a case where this one-dimensional data is a differential amount representing a slope and is integrated to correspond to the mouse protrusion amount. is there. This method can be implemented by a program inside a personal computer or by incorporating an arithmetic processing IC in a mouse.

At this time, the pattern of color dots formed on the screen by the pin arrangement on the mouse may be a one-to-one correspondence between dots and pins, or may be enlarged or reduced. The mechanism for achieving this may be programmed so that the user can select in advance, or built in the mouse as a multistage switch or a continuously variable adjustment switch. In the case of programming, it is to set the range on the monitor screen to be sent to the mouse, and the discrete data of the color dots contained in that range is converted into the discrete data corresponding to the number of pins on the mouse. Is to convert. This re-discretization can be realized simply by sampling the value of the continuous data obtained by interpolating the discrete data of color dots by linear approximation at the pin position on the mouse. You can enlarge or reduce by increasing or decreasing the range setting on the monitor screen sent to the mouse.

When the switch is installed in the mouse as a multi-stage switch or a continuously variable adjustment switch, the value converted into an electric signal by the switch is sent to the personal computer as a magnification representing enlargement / reduction and is sent to the mouse on the monitor described above. Used in the range to set, arithmetic processing IC in the mouse
It is also used when the discretization is performed inside the mouse.

Further, the pin arrangement on the mouse is expressed as a protruding pattern in a range centered on the position where the mouse cursor is displayed on the monitor screen. It may be displayed by the program regardless of the movement of. As a result, if there is an important button input image near the mouse cursor on the monitor screen and it is not in the pin layout of the mouse, the surrounding conditions that can be visually confirmed include the image near the mouse cursor. However, with the pin array element on the mouse, it is difficult to check the position other than touching it by moving the position around the periphery, so the display range in the pin array is forced to important buttons independently of the mouse movement in the program. It can be easily noticed by changing it to eliminate it.

Further, when the mouse cursor is positioned on the button image for which the click is valid, even if nothing changes on the monitor screen, the pin layout on the mouse is suspended and the information display of the dot array on the monitor screen is interrupted to enable. Programmatically that is located on a push button, for example
Making the shape like an actual button with a pin array and making the timing of pressing the button noticeable enhances the function of easily pressing the button without relying on the visual sense.

The pin driving mechanism of the pin array element on the mouse for forming the curved surface is manufactured by adopting the method of driving the pins by utilizing the attractive repulsive force of the electromagnetic coil generated by passing the signal current. .

If the moving distance is 1 μm or less, unevenness is not easily felt and a curved surface cannot be formed, and if it is 3 mm or more, the needle becomes a needle with a length that breaks the skin when only one pin projects, and the finger is injured. There is a risk that

Instead of a pin drive element forming a curved surface, a valve that can be opened and closed in an elongated tube (for example, a solenoid valve)
It has a mechanism to send air to the tube with a pin, adjusts the flow rate of air according to the amount of protrusion of the pin by opening and closing the valve, and the pattern pattern near the mouse on the monitor screen is adjusted by the flow of air on this plane. It is possible to use a mechanism (FIG. 7) that can be directly sensed by the fingers, palms, or the like.

Further, instead of the pin protrusion amount, a mechanism may be used in which the driving current is passed through the heater and the temperature is raised to momentarily eject air from the elongated tube at one end. A method of mechanically pushing out using a piezo element can also be adopted as the method of ejecting air. FIG. 8 shows a pressure difference generating element using a piezo element as a pump. The pressure difference generation element may replace the air protrusion type mechanism shown in FIG. 7. Further, the pressure difference generating element can be used as a pressure transmitting medium, for example, silicon-based oil or the like, and by utilizing this pressure difference, it can be used in place of the electromagnetic pin pushing mechanism shown in FIG.

Further, instead of the pin protrusion amount, a mechanism in which a voltage proportional to the driving current is applied to the pins arranged in a plane and touched to cause a weak current to flow to the finger can be used. other,
Instead of the pin protrusion amount, a Peltier element (an element that utilizes heat generation or heat absorption generated at the junction surface depending on the direction of the current when an electric current is passed through the junction surface of two kinds of metal or semiconductor) is arranged in a plane. , By generating or absorbing a heat quantity proportional to the drive current,
You can also use a mechanism that allows you to feel cold / heat with your palm.

[0029]

1 is a schematic diagram showing one pin drive mechanism suitable for use in the present invention. In FIG. 1, the pin driving mechanism 10 has a maximum in the vertical direction (in the drawing, left or right direction).
It has a pin 12 that can move 1 mm, and the diameter of the pin 12 is 300 μm. The pin 12 was driven by a mechanism that puts a round bar-shaped magnet 14 in the winding coil 16 and generates an electromagnetic force. When the N pole of the magnet 14 is located inside the coil 16, the magnetic field lines generated by the magnet and the magnetic field lines generated by the coil oppose each other by passing a current through the coil so as to generate magnetic field lines from the right to the left in FIG.
The magnetic flux density of the opposing portion is increased, and the force of the Maxwell stress causes the magnet and the coil to separate from each other.
At this time, when the current is reversed, a force to attract is generated. This force is used to drive the pin.

Further, the protrusion amount can be controlled by measuring the resistance of the pin with the electrode 18 installed at the end of the pin 12 and the end of the coil 16, and the difference between the protrusion amount and the expected control value can be obtained. The sign and strength of the current are changed according to the value.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a pin array element composed of a plurality of pin driving mechanisms. In FIG. 2, 6 × 8 pin driving mechanisms 10 are arranged in a plane at a distance of 3 in 1 mm to form a pin array element 20. For a curved surface forming unit (not shown), this mechanism was arranged in a matrix of 6 × 6 in length and width. The curved surface forming unit was incorporated into the mouse click button. Position the mouse cursor on the center of the image that has the button function on the monitor screen on this pin, make the peripheral dots 72x84 correspond to the pin array 36x42, and convert the monitor color to grayscale, The brightness was taken as the amount of protrusion. Therefore, white is set as the pin moving distance of 1 mm and black is set as no moving distance.
Then, the curved surface forming unit was driven by setting the gray scale grayscale value having 256 values to correspond to the movement distance of the pin.

An operation test was conducted using this mouse, and the occurrence frequency of operation mistakes with the conventional mouse was investigated.
For 10 beginners who tend to get misaligned when clicking the mouse, 10 people could click without misalignment.
In addition, we conducted a test of 10 experienced people who are familiar with everyday use by blocking the view with a mask and looking for a button on the monitor screen and clicking, and 10 people were able to click the button correctly without looking at the monitor screen. It was In addition, we conducted a test in which two buttons, one on the top and one on the bottom, were clicked alternately four times without looking at the monitor screen, and it was possible to click correctly with only the pin arrangement felt on the finger.

Here, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a gray scale display of the color pattern on the monitor screen, and FIG.
It is a figure which shows the gray scale dot pattern of the predetermined area | region (outputted as image data) near the pointer (mouse cursor) represented by the curved surface formation unit in FIG.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the protrusion amount distribution corresponding to FIG. 4, and shows the protrusion amount distribution of each pin in the pin array of the curved surface forming unit 36 × 42. In FIG. 5, white has a protrusion amount of 1 mm, black has no protrusion, and gray has an intermediate value. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing FIG. 5 by the protruding amount of the pin.

(Other Embodiments) In the above description, the mouse for a personal computer has been described, but the curved surface forming unit is not limited to the mouse and may be provided independently. Further, what is converted into a sensory stimulus amount by the curved surface forming unit is not limited to one which is pointed by a mouse pointer, and may be, for example, in the vicinity of a position designated by a cursor on a monitor operated by a keyboard. In this case, both of these curved surface forming units may be provided, and the latter curved surface forming unit may be provided in the keyboard or may be provided independently.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By converting the image part pointed by the operation pointer with the mouse or the cursor operated from the keyboard into the amount of sensory stimulation,
A display image / sensory stimulus amount conversion device that can be easily operated by a visually impaired person or the like can be obtained.

Further, according to the present invention, in a personal computer mouse having a click button, an element having a mechanism capable of stimulating a skin sensation when the mouse is gripped is arranged in a matrix at an arbitrary portion on the mouse surface. A device in which a plurality of devices are arranged in a plane is built in, and the array element of the device can adjust the stimulus amount according to the dot information around the mouse cursor on the personal computer monitor screen. In the OS (operating system) of a personal computer that has a window function, changes in color information such as window boundaries can be directly sensed by the fingers and palm of the hand, and assists the position control of the cursor by the personal computer user. Also, even for people with severe visual impairment, move the mouse on the contents of the PC monitor screen. That it is possible to feel in, it has made it possible to voice guide function to grasp easily screen content may not be sufficient.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one pin drive mechanism suitable for use in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a pin array element composed of a plurality of pin driving mechanisms.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a grace scale display of a color pattern on a monitor screen.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a grayscale dot pattern in a predetermined area (output as image data) near a pointer (mouse cursor) represented by the curved surface forming unit in FIG. 3;

5 is an enlarged view of the protrusion amount distribution corresponding to FIG. 4, and shows the protrusion amount distribution of each pin in the pin array of the curved surface forming unit 36 × 42.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing FIG. 5 by a protruding amount of a pin.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an air protruding type element adjusted by a solenoid valve.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a pressure difference generating element using a pump using a piezo element.

[Explanation of symbols]

10-pin drive mechanism 12 pin 14 magnets 16 coils 18 electrodes 20 pin array element

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. Output means for outputting, as data information, an image portion of a predetermined area including a portion pointed to by an image displayed on a display device, and conversion for converting the data information output by the output means into a sensory stimulus amount. And a display image / sensory stimulus amount conversion device. 2. The display image / sensory stimulus amount conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is a monitor connected to a main body of a personal computer and displays data output from the personal computer, and is output as data information. The displayed image / feel is characterized in that the displayed image portion is pointed by the pointer according to the instruction from the mouse connected to the personal computer body and / or is pointed at by the cursor according to the instruction from the keyboard connected to the personal computer body. Stimulus conversion device. 3. In a mouse for a personal computer having a button to be clicked, a plurality of elements having a mechanism capable of stimulating a skin sensation when the mouse is gripped are arranged in a matrix on an arbitrary portion on the surface of the mouse. A mouse for a personal computer, characterized in that the device arranged in line is incorporated, and the array element of the device can adjust the stimulus amount according to the dot information around the mouse cursor on the personal computer monitor screen. 4. A mouse for a personal computer according to claim 3, wherein the device in which a plurality of elements having a mechanism capable of stimulating a skin sensation are arranged in a matrix in a plane also serves as a mouse click button. . 5. A device in which a plurality of elements having a mechanism capable of stimulating a skin sensation are arranged in a matrix in a plane, temporarily breaking the correspondence with dots on a monitor screen by a program of a personal computer and forcing it. The mouse for a personal computer according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that it is array driven corresponding to a signal from inside the personal computer. 6. An element having a mechanism capable of stimulating a skin sensation according to claim 3, wherein a pin is provided in a direction perpendicular to a plane.
A mouse for a personal computer, which is a pin driving element having a pin driving mechanism capable of moving 1 μ to 3 mm, in which a plurality of the elements are arranged in a plane in a matrix and a device capable of forming a curved surface by a pin head is incorporated.