JP2004054753A - Device and method for processing information, recording medium, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable data migration easily and to enable a user to sense the migration of the data bodily. <P>SOLUTION: If a switch 41-1 is operated when a pen 4 is placed on an icon or the like displayed to a display, data indicated by the icon are stored in a storage part of the pen 4. In doing so, a luminous body 45 moves from front of the pen 4 backward in a luminous body 44. In accordance with the movement, a centroid of the pen 4 also moves backward. Inversely, if a switch 41-2 is operated when the pen 4 is placed on the display, the stored data are outputted and the icon is displayed at the position of the pen 4. In doing so, the luminous body 45 moves forward from back of the pen 4 in the luminous body 44. In correspondence to the movement, a centroid of the pen 4 moves forward as well. The device is used as an alternative to a mouse for indicating migration of the data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, a recording medium, and a program, and more particularly, to an information processing apparatus and method, a recording medium, and a program suitable for use in an apparatus that allows a user to experience transmission and reception of information.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a computer, for example, processing such as moving data between different folders or moving data between different computers can be performed by a simple operation such as clicking a mouse.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
There is no function that allows the user to easily perform the operation of moving the data and also makes the user feel (actually feel) the movement of the data.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and it is an object of the present invention to allow data to be moved by a simple operation and to allow a user to experience the data movement.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes input means for inputting an instruction from a user, and changing means for changing the position of its own center of gravity in response to the input means inputting an instruction from the user. And
[0006]
The changing means can change the position of the center of gravity by moving the position of a weight provided inside the changing means.
[0007]
The input means may input an instruction to store data in another device, or an instruction to read data stored in another device by the instruction.
[0008]
Acquisition means for acquiring data handled by another device, and storage means for storing the data acquired by the acquisition means, wherein the input means is an instruction for causing the acquisition means to acquire data, or , An instruction to read out the data stored in the storage means can be input.
[0009]
The changing means may change the position of the center of gravity in proportion to the time during which the input means has input the instruction.
[0010]
The light emitting device may further include a light emitting unit that emits light from the light emitting unit, and when the position of the center of gravity is changed by the changing unit, the light emitting unit emitted by the issuing unit may be moved in accordance with the movement of the center of gravity.
[0011]
An information processing method according to the present invention includes an input control step of controlling input of an instruction from a user, and an input control step for changing the position of its own center of gravity in response to the input of the instruction being controlled in the processing of the input control step. And a control step of performing control.
[0012]
The program of the recording medium according to the present invention is to change the position of its own center of gravity in response to the input control step of controlling the input of the instruction from the user and the control of the input of the instruction in the processing of the input control step. And a control step of performing the above control.
[0013]
The program according to the present invention includes: an input control step of controlling an input of an instruction from a user to a computer that controls an information processing device configured in a pen shape used for performing an operation when processing data; And a control step of performing control for changing the position of its own center of gravity in response to the input of the instruction being controlled in the processing of the step.
[0014]
In the information processing apparatus and method and the program according to the present invention, the center of gravity of itself is changed in response to an instruction from a user.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a system including a pen-type device to which the information processing device of the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, in this system, a display 2 for displaying a drawing and a touch panel 3 for inputting with a pen 4 are integrally configured. When the user touches the touch panel 3 with the pen 4, the touch panel 3 detects the position (coordinate). The touch panel 3 is formed of a transparent member, and allows a user to visually recognize an image displayed on the display 2 disposed thereunder.
[0016]
It is the PC (personal computer) 1 that supplies data such as images and texts displayed on the display 2 and executes processing corresponding to the coordinates detected by the touch panel 3. FIG. 2 shows an example of the internal configuration of the PC 1. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 of the PC 1 executes various processes according to a program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 13 appropriately stores data, programs, and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes. The input / output interface 15 is connected to the touch panel 3, and outputs a signal of the coordinates detected by the touch panel 3 to the CPU 11. The display 2 is also connected to the input / output interface 15.
[0017]
Further, the input / output interface 15 is also connected to a storage unit 16 composed of a hard disk and the like, and a communication unit 17 for exchanging data with other devices via a network such as the Internet. The drive 18 is used when data is read from or written to a recording medium such as a magnetic disk 21, an optical disk 22, a magneto-optical disk 23, and a semiconductor memory 24.
[0018]
The coordinate data input by the user from the touch panel 3 by operating the pen 4 is input to the CPU 11 via the input interface 15. The ROM 12 and the RAM 13 hold programs executed by the CPU 11 and data (files) of drawings created by the user. The CPU 11 controls the display 2 via the input / output interface 15 and executes processing such as displaying a predetermined graphic.
[0019]
FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D are diagrams illustrating a configuration example of the appearance of the pen 4. As shown in FIG. 3A, the pen 4 is provided with a switch 41. The switch 41 is operated when data is moved as described later.
[0020]
By the way, conventionally, for example, when data is moved from a first folder to a second folder, first, data to be moved is selected from the first folder, the data is cut out, and the data can be moved. Is done. Then, the cut data was pasted to the second folder to move the data.
[0021]
In other words, the data to be moved is selected from the first folder, and the data is downloaded. The sucked data was put into some container, the container was moved to the second folder, and the data was moved out of the container into the second folder.
[0022]
The pen 4 is provided with a mechanism for causing the user to feel (actually feel) such a thing. The details of the mechanism will be described below, but will be briefly described first. When data is moved, the user executes the processing using the pen 4. First, the user operates the switch 41 of the pen 4 to cause the pen 4 to siphon the data to be moved. The pen 4 changes its center of gravity by sucking data, so that the user feels that the pen 4 becomes heavier by sucking data.
[0023]
The user positions the heavier pen 4 on the second folder and operates the switch 41 again. With this operation, the pen 4 extracts the sucked data into the second folder. Data is moved in this manner. By such data movement, the user can feel that the data is being moved.
[0024]
In the present embodiment, the pen 4 has a means for simulating or storing data, such as siphoning data and squeezing out data, and performs the operation using the storing means. Therefore, in FIG. 3A, only one switch 41 is provided, and the switch 41 instructs data download and extraction. However, as shown in FIG. 3B, two switches 41-1 and 41-2 are provided. One switch may be provided, one switch may be a switch for instructing data download, and the other switch may be a switch for instructing data extraction.
[0025]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, in addition to the switch 41 for instructing data siphoning or extruding, the pen 4 is provided with a speed changeover switch 42 for adjusting (setting) the siphoning speed or extruding speed of the data. It may be provided.
[0026]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3D, a contact switch 43 may be provided at the tip of the pen 4. The contact switch 43 is used, for example, instead of the switch 41. When the contact switch 43 is depressed, a process of downloading or extruding data is executed.
[0027]
As described above, the pen 4 is provided with a switch such as the switch 41, the speed changeover switch 42, or the contact switch 43. The shapes and positions of these switches are not limited to those shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, and may be provided in any shape and at any position.
[0028]
The combination of the switches shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D is not limited to the combination shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D. For example, the switch 41-1 and the switch 41 shown in FIG. The pen 4 having -2 may be provided with a combination of a plurality of switches such as further providing a speed changeover switch 42 shown in FIG. 3C.
[0029]
As described above, the pen 4 is provided with the switch 41 for instructing the siphoning of data or for instructing the penetrating operation. When the switch 41 is operated, the center of gravity of the pen 4 changes. As a result, the user feels that the weight of the pen 4 has changed. As described above, the pen 4 in the present embodiment can make the user feel the weight of the pen 4 having no data weight.
[0030]
As described above, data can be drawn and extracted using only the weight, or (or) the data can be expressed visually. In a case where the data is visually drawn and extracted, the pen 4 may be configured as shown in FIG. 4A or 4B, for example.
[0031]
In the example shown in FIG. 4A, the light emitting unit 44 is provided in a direction (rearward) opposite to the tip of the pen 4 (the tip on the left side in the figure is sharp, hereinafter referred to as front). Have been. The light emitting section 44 is entirely or partially formed of a transparent member, and has a light emitting body 45 provided therein, so that light emitted from the light emitting body 45 can be seen. When the data is downloaded, the light-emitting body 45 moves from the front to the rear, which indicates that the data has been downloaded. Conversely, when data is to be emitted, the light emitting body 45 is moved forward from behind the light emitting unit 44 to express the exposed light.
[0032]
In the example shown in FIG. 4B, a display unit 46 is provided at a portion behind the pen 4. The display unit 46 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal or the like, and is configured to express data suction or extraction as an image. This expression is basically the same expression method as that of the light emitting unit 44 shown in FIG. 4A, and is expressed by moving the gauge from the front to the rear of the display unit 46 when data is taken in.
[0033]
The configuration example of the switch illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 3D and the configuration example of the display device illustrated in FIG. 4A or 4B can be combined, and the pen 4 may be configured in any combination. In the following description, a case where the pen 4 as shown in FIG. 5 configured by the configuration example of the switch illustrated in FIG. 3B and the configuration example of the display device illustrated in FIG. 4A is used will be described as an example. explain.
[0034]
As described above, the pen 4 is configured so that the user can feel that data has been siphoned or that data has been swept out by moving the center of gravity. A mechanism for moving the center of gravity will be described.
[0035]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cross-sectional view of the pen 4. The pen 4 is provided with a string 51, a motor 52, and a spring 53. The motor 52 is provided on the pen 4 instead of the weight, and the motor 52 moves inside the pen 4 to change the center of gravity of the pen 4.
[0036]
When the data is collected, the motor 52 is moved to the rear of the pen 4 (on the side provided with the spring 53), so that the center of gravity of the pen 4 is moved to the rear. Thus, the relationship between the position of the center of gravity of the pen 4 and the hand of the user is as shown in FIG. 7A. Since the motor 52 is located behind the pen 4, the center of gravity of the pen 4 is located behind. As a result, the center of gravity of the pen 4 is located outside (not necessarily completely outside) the hand holding the pen 4 of the user, and for the user, the pen 4 is pulled downward. The user feels that the pen 4 is heavier.
[0037]
On the other hand, when the data is extracted, the motor 52 moves from the state shown in FIG. 7A to the state shown in FIG. 7B, that is, moves from the rear of the pen 4 to the front. This means that the pen 4 has moved forward. As shown in FIG. 7B, the position of the center of gravity of the pen 4 is in the handgrip of the user (it does not need to be completely inside). As a result, the user feels that the pen 4 is lighter than the state shown in FIG. 7A.
[0038]
The motor 52 has a function of winding the string 51 by its rotation. When the string 51 is wound by the motor 52, the motor 52 moves forward of the pen 4. When the motor 52 is located in front of the pen 4, the spring 53 is in an extended state. In such a state, when the string 51 wound by the motor 52 is released, the string 51 slackens, and the motor 52 moves to the rear of the pen 4 by the elastic force of the spring 53.
[0039]
As described above, the motor 52 winds the string 51 or releases the wound string 51, so that the motor 52 itself moves in the pen 4. Therefore, the moving speed of the motor 52 can be adjusted by adjusting the speed at which the motor 52 winds (releases) the string.
[0040]
For example, as shown in FIG. 3C, when the pen 4 has the speed changeover switch 42, in order to realize the speed set by the speed changeover switch 42, the speed at which the motor 52 winds (releases) the string is set. You just have to adjust it.
[0041]
As described above, the motor 52 moves forward or backward in the pen 4 in order to express the suction or the ejection of data. A portion where the motor 52 moves is constituted by a pen 4 using a transparent member, and the portion is defined as a light emitting section 44 (FIG. 4). Further, the light emitting body 45 is provided at the lower part or the upper part of the motor 52. By doing so, the light-emitting body 45 also moves in conjunction with the movement of the motor 52, and it is possible for the user to visually express data extraction and extraction.
[0042]
The movement of the center of gravity of the pen 4 and the provision of the light-emitting body 45 described above are only examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it is not always necessary to use the motor 52 to move the center of gravity of the pen 4. For example, in the above-described example, the motor 52 also serves as a weight for moving the center of gravity. You may do it. A weight may be provided, and further, an electromagnet may be provided, and the weight may be moved by using a repulsive force or an attractive force by an electric field generated by the electromagnet.
[0043]
FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the pen 4. The operation unit 71 is provided for inputting an instruction from a user, and in this case, is composed of a switch 41-1 and a switch 41-2 (FIG. 5). Here, the description will be made on the assumption that the switch 41-1 is a switch for instructing data download, and the switch 41-2 is a switch for instructing data extraction.
[0044]
The control unit 72 includes a CPU or the like, and controls each unit in the pen 4 so that a process corresponding to the operation unit 71 can be executed. The light emission control unit 73 controls the light emission of the light emitter 45 in the light emission unit 44 under the instruction of the control unit 72. The drive control unit 74 performs control for moving the center of gravity of the pen 4. When the pen 4 is configured as shown in FIG. 6, the drive control unit 74 controls the driving of the motor 52 under the instruction of the control unit 72.
[0045]
The communication unit 75 is provided for exchanging data with the PC 1 (FIG. 1). The communication unit 75 and the PC 1 may be connected by wire or wirelessly. In the case of a wired connection, a USB (Universal Serial Bus), an IEEE1394 standard bus, or the like can be used. In the case of wireless communication, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), infrared rays, or the like can be used.
[0046]
The processing using the pen 4 having the configuration shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. Here, a case where predetermined data is moved from the first folder to the second folder will be described as an example. It is assumed that the data (file name) in the first folder is displayed on the display 2 as shown in FIG.
[0047]
In step S11, the user positions the pen 4 on the data to be moved (here, data A) among the data in the first folder displayed on the display 2, and Operate -1 (Fig. 5). When the switch 41-1 is operated, the operation unit 71 (FIG. 8) notifies the control unit 72 that the switch 41-1 has been operated, that is, in this case, an instruction to download data has been given. Output a command.
[0048]
When a command is input from the operation unit 71, the control unit 72 executes a process corresponding to the command. That is, in this case, first, in step S12, the control unit 72 controls the communication unit 75 to output a command indicating that data download has been instructed to the PC1. While the processing of outputting this command is performed, the control unit 72 instructs the light emission control unit 73 to emit light from the light emitter 45 (FIG. 5) in step S13, and drives the motor 52 to the drive control unit 74. Give instructions to do so.
[0049]
When such an instruction is issued from the control unit 72, the light emitting body 45 emits light under the control of the light emission control unit 73, and the motor 52 moves behind the pen 4 under the control of the drive control unit 74. Is done.
[0050]
While such processing is performed by the pen 4, the PC 1 performs the processing of step S21 and subsequent steps. First, when a command output from the pen 4 is received by the communication unit 17 (FIG. 2) of the PC 1 and the command is supplied to the CPU 11, the CPU 11 executes a process of acquiring coordinate data in step S21. I do.
[0051]
As described above, the touch panel 3 (FIG. 1) configured integrally with the display 2 is provided on the display 2. The touch panel 3 always detects the coordinates of the position depressed by the pen 4 and outputs the coordinate data of the detected coordinates to the CPU 11. By executing such a process, the CPU 11 can acquire the coordinate data of the coordinates at which the pen 4 is pressed down.
[0052]
When acquiring the coordinate data at the time of inputting the command from the pen 4, the CPU 11 determines an object displayed at coordinates based on the coordinate data in step S22. Data indicating which object is displayed at which coordinates is stored in the RAM 13 (FIG. 1), for example. From the data stored in the RAM 13, an object corresponding to the coordinate data is determined. In this case, the object of the determined result is the icon of the data A.
[0053]
In step S23, a process of deleting the object determined in step S22 from the display 2 is performed. In this case, the icon of the data A is deleted from the display 2. The icon of the data A is deleted from the display 2, and information relating to the deletion is stored in the RAM 13. That is, information for specifying what data is extracted from the pen 4 by the pseudo process by the process described later is stored.
[0054]
The user visually recognizes that the data A is sucked up by the pen 4 by erasing the icon of the data A from the display 2, and furthermore, the data A is moved by moving the center of gravity of the pen 4. The sensation as if the object was sucked up by the pen 4 as a heavy object is recognized by touch. In addition, since the light-emitting body 45 is moved with the movement of the motor 52 while the light-emitting body 45 emits light, the user can visually recognize the feeling as if the data A was sucked up by the pen 4 as an object.
[0055]
The extraction of the data sucked up by the pen 4 in this manner is performed after step S14. Basically, the processing of steps S14 to S16 performed with the pen 4 is the same as the processing of steps S11 to S13, and the processing of steps S24 to S26 performed on the PC 1 side is the same as the processing of steps S21 to S23. The same is true. Here, the description will be simplified.
[0056]
In step S14, when the switch 41-2 is operated, the process is started assuming that data extraction has been instructed.
[0057]
At this time, if the motor 52 is not located behind the pen 4, this indicates that data is not being collected, and in such a case, when the switch 41-2 is operated, , Error processing is executed. Also, when the switch 41-1 is operated while the motor 52 is located behind the pen 4, the error processing is executed. The error processing includes, for example, generating a beep sound.
[0058]
When the switch 41-2 is operated in step S14, a command indicating that data ejection has been instructed is output to the PC 1 in step S15, and in step S16, the motor 52 is moved from the rear of the pen 4 to the front. The luminous body 45 is also moved while emitting light.
[0059]
On the other hand, the PC 1 acquires the coordinate data on the touch panel 3 that has been pressed down by the pen 4 when receiving the command. In step S25, the information stored in the RAM 13 is referred to, and the object corresponding to the data sucked up by the pen 4 is determined. The object based on the determination is displayed on the display 2 in step S26.
[0060]
In this way, basically, the user can simply move the data simply by operating the switch, and can treat the intangible data as if it were a tangible one. . Therefore, the user can feel the movement of the data.
[0061]
In the above-described embodiment, movement of data managed in one PC 1 has been described. In other words, data movement is performed by storing information of data to be moved in one PC 1. Although the case has been described, it is also possible to move data between a plurality of PCs 1.
[0062]
In this way, when data is moved between a plurality of PCs 1, in other words, when data is carried and moved with the pen 4, a functional block diagram of the pen 4 is as shown in FIG. become. That is, the functional block diagram of the pen 4 shown in FIG. 11 is configured such that a storage unit 81 is added to the functional block diagram of the pen 4 shown in FIG.
[0063]
The operation when data is moved from the PC 1-1 to the PC 1-2 as shown in FIG. 12 by the pen 4 having the storage unit 81 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Each of the PC 1-1 and the PC 1-2 has the touch panel 3 and is configured to be able to detect the coordinates of the position pressed by the pen 4.
[0064]
The processes of steps S41 to S42 performed in the pen 4 are substantially the same as the processes of steps S11 to S12 in the flowchart of FIG. When the PC 1-1 inputs a command from the pen 4, the PC 1-1 executes the processing from step S51. The processing of steps S51 to S53 is substantially the same as the processing of steps S21 to S23 in the flowchart of FIG. 9, and a description thereof will be omitted.
[0065]
In step S54, data corresponding to the object whose icon is determined in step S52 and whose icon or the like has been deleted from the display 2 in step S53 is output to the pen 4. At this time, the output data is data indicated by the object itself. For example, if the icon is an icon indicating that the object is text data, the data is the text data itself.
[0066]
Unlike the case described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 9, when the processing is performed according to the flowchart in FIG. 13, information about the deleted object may be stored in the RAM 13 in the PC 1-1. It is possible to execute the subsequent processing without storing the information.
[0067]
The data output from the PC 1-1 in step S54 is received by the pen 4. Here, a specific example will be described as data. As shown in FIG. 14, a picture of several goldfish swimming in water is displayed on the display 2 of the PC 1-1. As shown in FIG. 15A, the user presses the pen 4 on one of several goldfishes and operates the switch 41-1 (FIG. 5). This operation corresponds to the operation in step S41 (FIG. 13).
[0068]
When such an operation is performed, the pen 4 outputs a command to the PC 1-1 in step S42, and moves the motor 52 from the front to the rear of the pen 4 in step S43. Along with the movement, the light emitting body 45 is also moved. The pen 4 shown in FIG. 15A shows a state when the movement of the motor 52 starts, and the pen 4 shown in FIG. 15B shows a state when the movement of the motor 52 ends. The luminous body 45 emits light only while it is actually being moved or only for a few seconds after the movement is completed.
[0069]
Of course, the light emitting body 45 may always emit light, or the light emission may be continued only for a few minutes after the movement is completed. However, these are not preferable from the viewpoint of power consumption. For example, as described above, the light is emitted only during the actual movement, or continuously emitted for several seconds after the movement is completed, as described above.
[0070]
On the other hand, on the PC 1-1 side, the processing after step S51 is executed. First, in step S51, the coordinate data of the coordinates of the position pressed when the pen 4 outputs the command is displayed on the touch panel 3. Obtained from The acquired coordinate data is supplied to the CPU 11. The CPU 11 determines the object displayed at the coordinates using the acquired coordinate data. In this case, it is determined that the displayed goldfish is one goldfish among the plurality of goldfishes.
[0071]
Then, a process of deleting the determined goldfish from the display 2 is performed in step S53. By performing such processing, the goldfish whose pen 4 has been pressed down is erased from the display 2 as shown in FIG. 15B.
[0072]
Further, the PC 1-1 executes a process of deleting the goldfish from the display 2 and outputs data for drawing the goldfish to the pen 4 in step S54. The output data is received by the communication unit 75 of the pen 4 in step S44, and is stored in the storage unit 81 according to an instruction from the control unit 72.
[0073]
Through such a series of operations, the user can feel as if a goldfish swimming on the display 2 was sucked into the pen 4. To guess the user's feelings, one would want to get out of the small pen 4 to a wide area quickly and swim. This is a feeling that the user does not feel (a feeling that the user cannot feel) by a method of moving data by a simple operation such as a mouse click.
[0074]
Thus, the user releases the goldfish stored in the pen 4 to the PC 1-2, as shown in FIG. 16A, in order to distinguish the display 2 ′ of the PC 1-2 from the display 2 of the PC 1-1. Is written with a dash to the pen) 4 and the switch 41-2 is operated. This operation corresponds to the operation in step S45.
[0075]
In step S46, data is output. This data is data stored in the storage unit 81. That is, when the switch 41-2 is operated, the operation information is input to the control unit 72. However, when the control unit 72 determines that the start of the data is instructed, the operation information is stored in the storage unit 81. The data is read out and output to the PC 1-2 by the communication unit 75.
[0076]
As described above, the data is output, and in step S47, the movement of the center of gravity and the light emission, that is, the drive of the motor 52 is controlled, and the light emission of the light emitter 45 is controlled. In this case, the motor 52 is moved forward from behind the pen 4. Since the light emitter 45 is also moved with the movement of the motor 52, the light emitter 45 is also moved forward from behind the pen 4. In this way, by moving the light-emitting body 45 from the rear to the front, the user can visually feel the feeling that data is being emitted.
[0077]
On the other hand, in the PC 1-2, in step S61, a process of acquiring the coordinates of the position where the pen 4 is pressed down is executed. PC1-2 shown in FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B is assumed to be shaped like a water tank according to this specific example. Further, the PC1-2 may be a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), a mobile phone, or the like, or of course, a PC1-1.
[0078]
In the case of the PC 1-2 having the large screen display 2 ′, it is important to obtain the coordinate data of the position where the pen 4 is pressed, but in the case of the PC 1-2 having the small screen display 2 ′, the coordinate data is acquired. There is no need to acquire data.
[0079]
This is a process at a later stage, in which the goldfish is displayed in this case. Preferably, the goldfish is expressed as if it came out of the tip of the pen 4. However, when the display 2 'is small, the pen 4 This is because, even if it is not expressed as coming out of the tip of the pen 4, it is expected that it will look as if it came out of the tip of the pen 4 (near the tip). In the device predicted as described above, the process of acquiring coordinate data in step S61 can be omitted.
[0080]
Omitting the processing in step S61 means that such a data transfer destination will not only be applied to the display 2 '(PC1-2) having no touch panel 3 but also to, for example, an existing PDA or mobile phone. Indicates that it can be a target.
[0081]
In any case, as shown in FIG. 16A, when the pen 4 is pressed down on the display 2 ′ of the PC 1-2 and the switch 41-2 is operated, the data is stored in the storage unit 81. In this case, Goldfish data is output to PC1-2. Processing for processing the data is performed by the PC 1-2 in step S62.
[0082]
The PC 1-2 executes a process based on the input data. In this case, the processing based on the data is to display the goldfish on the display 2 ′. By performing such a process, as shown in FIG. 16B, the goldfish is displayed on the display 2 ′, and the goldfish swims around the display 2 ′.
[0083]
In this way, the data of the goldfish can be easily moved between different computers (PCs) only by operating the switches 41-1 and 41-2. In addition, in the case of this specific example, it is possible for the user to taste a pseudo experience of moving the goldfish from the aquarium to the aquarium.
[0084]
Further, how to use the pen 4 will be described with a specific example. As a specific example, a case in which drawing is performed using the pen 4 will be described. In the specific example described below, data may be transmitted and received by only one PC 1 as shown in FIG. 1, or data may be transmitted and received between a plurality of PCs 1 as shown in FIG. May be performed. Here, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the processing is performed by one PC 1. The pen 4 is configured to have a storage unit 81 as shown in FIG.
[0085]
It is assumed that a screen as shown in FIG. 17 is displayed on the display 2 of the PC 1. On the display 2, a color display unit 101-1, a color display unit 101-2, and a drawing area 102 are provided. The color display unit 101-1 and the color display unit 101-2 display colors, respectively. Here, it is assumed that white is displayed on the color display unit 101-1 and black is displayed on the color display unit 101-2.
[0086]
As shown in FIG. 18A, when the user places the pen 4 on the color display unit 101-1 displaying white, the switch 41-1 is operated. As described above, when the motor 52 is driven, the user is notified that data is being downloaded. In the case of this drawing, the motor 52 moves backward relatively slowly and can be stopped halfway. In the case of this drawing example, the position (moving distance) of the motor 52 indicates how much data has been downloaded.
[0087]
The amount of data depends on the color intensity. That is, when a small amount of data is sucked, a light color is extracted, and when a large amount of data is absorbed, a dark color is extracted. In order to perform such processing, in the case of the example of drawing, the motor 52 moves only while the switch 41-1 is operated, and when the operation is stopped, the motor 52 is stopped at the current position. .
[0088]
In the case of the goldfish described above, it does not make sense to siphon the data halfway. Therefore, in the case of the goldfish example, if the switch 41-1 is operated once, the motor 52 moves to the end of the pen 4 and stops halfway regardless of the operation time. So that there is no Further, the moving speed of the motor 52 at that time may be relatively high.
[0089]
The operation of the motor 52 when the switch 41-1 is operated (how it is driven) is different between the case of the goldfish and the case of the drawing. Therefore, the configuration of the pen 4 is provided with a speed changeover switch 42 as shown in FIG. 3C. The moving speed of the motor 52 is adjusted by the speed changing switch 42. The speed changeover switch 42 is configured such that it is possible to select whether or not the motor 52 moves to the last position of the pen 4 by operating the switch 41-1 once. Further, processing based on the switching of the speed changeover switch 42 is performed by the drive control unit 74 (FIG. 11).
[0090]
However, if the movement speed of the motor 52 is selected by the user, for example, even in the case of a goldfish, the speed changeover switch 42 operates the switch 41-1 to turn the motor 52 on the pen 4. It is conceivable that the setting to move to the end is not always set. In such a case, even if the speed changeover switch 42 is not set so that the motor 52 moves to the end of the pen 4 by one operation of the switch 41-1, the motor 52 stops halfway. Whatever happens, all goldfish data is downloaded.
[0091]
The speed change switch 42 may be provided on the pen 4 so that the user can select the moving speed of the motor 52. However, as described above, the setting by the user is not always performed accurately. It is troublesome for the user to always make the correct setting (for example, when a wrong setting is made, a beep sound is made to recognize the setting and the correct setting is made).
[0092]
Therefore, for example, the data sucked by the pen 4 may include data for setting the speed of the motor 52, and when the data is input, the speed of the motor 52 may be set on the pen 4 side. good. This data can be realized by a flag or the like.
[0093]
Although any configuration may be adopted, the speed (drive distance) of the motor 52 is set so as to change according to the amount of data sucked by the pen 4.
[0094]
To continue the description of the drawing example, as shown in FIG. 18A, the pen 4 is positioned in the area of the color display unit 101-1 by the user, and the switch 41-1 is set to the color depth desired by the user. The operation is performed so that as much data as possible is downloaded. A gauge may be provided in a portion where the motor 52 (light emitting body 45) moves, that is, in this case, the light emitting unit 44 (FIG. 4A) so that the user can recognize how much data has been collected.
[0095]
When the user determines that the color (white in this case) displayed on the color display unit 101-1 has been downloaded by the desired depth, the color display unit 101-1, as shown in FIG. The color displayed in -2 (in this case, black) is siphoned by the same processing as when the color of the color display portion 101-1 is siphoned. The motor 52 moves from the state shown in FIG. 18A in which the white color is sucked up to the rear side of the pen 4 by sucking out the black color as shown in FIG. 18B.
[0096]
The processing in the pen 4 so far is realized by repeating the processing of steps S41 to S43 in the flowchart of FIG. 13 twice. In this way, the same processing is repeatedly performed depending on the data to be handled.
[0097]
Further, in the case of this specific example, in PC1-1 (PC1), steps S51 to S54 are similarly repeated twice in accordance with the operation of the pen 4, but the process of deleting the object in step S53 is omitted. As described above, the processing may be appropriately omitted or added depending on the data to be handled. Instead of the process of erasing the object, in the case of this specific example, a display in which the color density displayed on the color display unit 101-1 and the display that is lightened by the amount of data moved by the pen 4 is used. Control may be performed.
[0098]
In this way, the user draws up data with the pen 4 so that a desired color has a desired density. The data collected in this manner is stored in the storage unit 81 of the pen 4. The storage unit 81 stores data in which colors and densities are associated with each other.
[0099]
As shown in FIG. 19, the user positions the pen 4 in a predetermined area of the drawing area 102 and operates the switch 42-2 to expose the color sucked by the pen 4 in this manner. . By performing such processing, the predetermined area of the drawing area 102 is displayed in white and black in this case, and in gray with a density corresponding to the amount of data absorbed.
[0100]
As in the case of extracting the color, the amount of data to be extracted may be changed according to the time during which the switch 42-2 is operated, so that the color density may be changed.
[0101]
As described above, the color and the density can be easily selected, and the selected color and the density can be easily moved to another area, so that the work efficiency at the time of drawing can be improved.
[0102]
Considering the case of handling colors in this way, as shown in FIG. 4B, the pen 4 may be provided with a display unit 46 using liquid crystal or the like. When the display unit 46 is provided, the usability of the pen 4 can be further improved by displaying the sucked color and density on the display unit 46. Further, by doing so, it is possible to check the color when a plurality of colors of data are downloaded to the drawing area 102 on the display unit 46 without extracting the data to the drawing area 102, thereby improving usability.
[0103]
In this case, the light emission control unit 73 (FIG. 11) may control the display on the display unit 46. The data used for controlling the display may be the data stored in the storage unit 81, that is, the sucked data.
[0104]
The specific examples described above are examples, and do not indicate that the scope of the present invention is limited to such specific examples.
[0105]
Further, the moving distance of the motor 52 may be determined according to the capacity of the storage unit 81, instead of determining the moving distance of the motor 52 by operating the switch 41. For example, when the capacity of the storage unit 81 is 10 Mbytes, when the data of 1 Mbyte is downloaded, the capacity of the storage unit 81 and the capacity of the storage The moving distance of the motor 52 may be determined based on the stored data amount.
[0106]
As described above, in the pen 4 to which the present invention is applied, the intangible object of data can be treated as a tangible object, thereby allowing the user to have a virtual experience of treating the data as a tangible object. It becomes possible. Further, the data can be moved by a simple operation of the switch, so that the usability is good. Further, by applying the handling of such an intangible object, such as data, as a tangible object, for example, it is also possible to use the data in a device that assists a person with weak vision when operating a computer.
[0107]
The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware having respective functions, but can also be executed by software. When a series of processing is executed by software, various functions can be executed by installing a computer in which the programs constituting the software are embedded in dedicated hardware, or by installing various programs For example, it is installed from a recording medium to a general-purpose personal computer or the like.
[0108]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording medium is a magnetic disk 21 (including a flexible disk) on which the program is recorded and an optical disk 22 (CD-ROM), which are distributed to provide the user with the program, separately from the personal computer. It is configured by a package medium including a ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), a DVD (including a Digital Versatile Disc), a magneto-optical disc 23 (including an MD (Mini-Disc) (registered trademark)), a semiconductor memory 24, or the like. Not only that, but also provided to the user in a state in which the program is installed in the computer in advance, a hard disk including the ROM 12 and the storage unit 16 in which the program is stored, and the like.
[0109]
In this specification, the steps of describing a program provided by a medium are not necessarily performed in chronological order, but may be performed in parallel or individually according to the described order. This includes the processing to be executed.
[0110]
Also, in this specification, a system refers to an entire device including a plurality of devices.
[0111]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the information processing apparatus, method, and program of the present invention, the position of the center of gravity of the user is changed in response to an instruction from the user, so that the user feels that the operation is being performed. It is possible to do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a PC 1.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an external appearance of a pen 4;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the appearance of a pen 4;
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the appearance of a pen 4.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a pen 4.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a center of gravity of a pen 4;
FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the pen 4.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation in the system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 10 is an example of a screen displayed on a display 2.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another configuration example inside the pen 4.
FIG. 12 is another functional block diagram of the system.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the system illustrated in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display 2.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen corresponding to the processing of the pen 4.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen corresponding to the processing of the pen 4.
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display 2.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen corresponding to the processing of the pen 4.
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen corresponding to the processing of the pen 4.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 PC, 2 display, 3 touch panel, 4 pen, 41 switch, 42 speed changeover switch, 43 contact switch, 44 light emitting section, 45 light emitting body, 51 string, 52 motor, 53 spring

Claims (9)

In a pen-shaped information processing device used for performing operations when processing data,
Input means for inputting an instruction from a user;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a changing unit that changes a position of its own center of gravity in response to the input unit inputting an instruction from a user. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the changing unit changes the position of the center of gravity by moving a position of a weight provided inside the changing unit. The information according to claim 1, wherein the input unit inputs an instruction to store the data in another device or an instruction to read the data stored in the other device by the instruction. Processing equipment. Acquisition means for acquiring the data being handled by another device,
A storage unit for storing the data acquired by the acquisition unit,
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input unit inputs an instruction for causing the acquisition unit to acquire the data, or an instruction to read the data stored in the storage unit according to the instruction. Information processing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the changing unit changes the position of the center of gravity in proportion to a time during which the input unit is inputting the instruction. The light emitting device further includes a light emitting unit that emits light from the light emitting body,
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the position of the center of gravity is changed by the changing unit, the illuminant emitted by the issuing unit is also moved in accordance with the movement of the center of gravity. . In an information processing method of a pen-shaped information processing apparatus used for performing an operation when processing data,
An input control step of controlling input of an instruction from a user;
A control step of performing control for changing the position of its own center of gravity in response to the input of the instruction being controlled in the processing of the input control step. A pen-shaped information processing device program used for performing an operation when processing data,
An input control step of controlling input of an instruction from a user;
A computer-readable program characterized by including a control step of performing control for changing the position of its own center of gravity in response to the input of the instruction being controlled in the processing of the input control step. The recording medium on which it is recorded. A computer that controls a pen-shaped information processing device used for performing operations when processing data,
An input control step of controlling input of an instruction from a user;
And a control step of performing control for changing the position of the center of gravity of itself in response to the input of the instruction being controlled in the processing of the input control step.

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