JP2007140944A - Touch sense device and touch sense method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow high operability for pointing with a simple configuration. <P>SOLUTION: An X-axial touch-key 12 and a Y-axial touch-key 13 are arranged in an L shape. The touch operation of pointing in the X-direction of a display part 11 is detected by the X-axial touch-key 12 and the touch operation of pointing in the Y-direction of the display part 11 is detected by the Y-axial touch-key 13. Then a pointing processing means performs pointing processing in the display part 11 in response to the detected touch operations. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch sense device and a touch sense method in which keys by a touch sense method are arranged in an L shape.

  For example, in a notebook personal computer or a desktop personal computer, two input devices, a character input device as a CUI (Character User Interface) and a pointer moving device as a GUI (Graphical User Interface), are necessary. A keyboard is often used as a character input device, and a mouse is often used as a pointer moving device.

  Since these devices exist independently, not only installation space is required for two devices, but a mouse requires a lot of work space. Therefore, there are a trackball, a grind point, a touch panel and the like as an alternative to a mouse.

  By using these pointer moving devices instead of the mouse, not only a lot of work space is required as in the case of using a mouse, but also the movement of the hand between the character input device and the pointer moving device is reduced. The speed can be improved. However, these character input device and pointer moving device still require two arrangement spaces, and it is necessary to move the hand between the two devices.

In order to solve such problems, in Patent Document 1, a display unit that displays a key layout or screen information, a touch sense unit that checks which part of the screen is touched, and a key layout are displayed on the display unit. The above two functions are switched between character input processing means for inputting characters by pressing the corresponding place, pointer movement processing means for displaying screen information and moving the pointer by pressing the corresponding place The input device is provided with a function switching means for switching the functions by simultaneously touching two or more points of the touch sensing unit so that the two processing means can be used on the same device.
JP-A-10-228350

  By the way, in Patent Document 1 described above, character input processing and pointer movement processing can be performed on the same device. However, when character input and pointer movement are performed, it is necessary to switch functions each time. There is a problem that is complicated. In addition, since the display unit that displays the key layout or screen information and the touch sense unit that checks which part of the screen is touched overlap, the display unit deteriorates due to adhesion of dirt to the touch sense unit that covers the display unit In addition, there is a problem in that a failure of the display unit occurs due to an overload caused by an operation on the touch sense unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a touch sensing device and a touch sensing method capable of solving the above-described problems.

The touch sense device of the present invention is a touch sense device that accepts a pointing touch input on a display unit, and detects an X direction pointing touch operation on the display unit, and a Y direction on the display unit. Y-axis touch means for detecting the pointing touch operation, and pointing processing means for performing a pointing process on the display unit in response to the touch operation detected by the X-axis touch means or the Y-axis touch means, The X-axis touch means and the Y-axis touch means are arranged in an L shape.
The X-axis touch unit and the Y-axis touch unit may be arranged around the display unit.
Further, the X-axis touch unit and the Y-axis touch unit may be arranged outside the periphery of the display unit.
Further, the pointing processing means may determine a starting point and an end point of pointing according to the number of touch operations detected by the X-axis touch means or the Y-axis touch means within a predetermined time.
In addition, the pointing processing unit assigns a function of directly selecting information in the X direction of the display unit to the X-axis touch unit, and directly transmits information in the Y direction of the display unit to the Y-axis touch unit. The function to be selected can be assigned.
The pointing processing unit assigns a function of sliding the screen of the display unit in the X direction with respect to the X-axis touch unit, and a function of sliding the screen of the display unit in the Y direction with respect to the Y-axis touch unit. Can be assigned.
The touch sensing method of the present invention is a touch sensing method for accepting a pointing touch input on a display unit, and detecting a pointing touch operation in the X direction on the display unit by one L-shaped X-axis touch means. And a step of detecting a pointing touch operation in the Y direction of the display unit by the other L-shaped Y-axis touch means, and a step of performing a pointing process in the display unit according to the detected touch operation. It is characterized by having.
Further, a step of determining a starting point and an ending point of pointing according to the number of touch operations detected within a predetermined time detected by the X-axis touch unit or the Y-axis touch unit can be provided.
A step of assigning a function of directly selecting information in the X direction of the display unit to the X-axis touch unit, and a function of directly selecting information of the display unit in the Y direction to the Y-axis touch unit; It can be made to have.
And a step of allocating a function of sliding the screen of the display unit in the X direction to the X-axis touch unit and a function of sliding a screen of the display unit in the Y direction to the Y-axis touch unit. can do.
In the touch sensing device and the touch sensing method of the present invention, a pointing touch operation in the X direction of the display unit is detected by one L-shaped X-axis touch unit, and the display unit is detected by the other L-shaped Y-axis touch unit. A pointing touch operation in the Y direction is detected, and a pointing process in the display unit is performed in accordance with the detected touch operation.

  According to the touch sensing device and the touch sensing method of the present invention, the X-direction pointing touch operation of the display unit is detected by one L-shaped X-axis touch unit, and the other L-shaped Y-axis touch unit is used. Since the pointing touch operation in the Y direction of the display unit is detected and the pointing process in the display unit is performed according to the detected touch operation, the operability in pointing can be improved with a simple configuration. . In addition, since the X-axis touch unit and the Y-axis touch unit can be arranged so as not to overlap the display unit, and the screen of the display unit is not touched, the display unit may be deteriorated due to adhesion of dirt. In addition, it is possible to solve the problem that the display portion is broken due to excessive operation.

  In this embodiment, the X-axis touch unit and the Y-axis touch unit are arranged in an L shape, the X-axis touch unit detects a pointing touch operation in the X direction of the display unit, and the Y-axis touch unit detects the display unit. A pointing touch operation in the Y direction is detected, and a pointing process is performed on the display unit in accordance with the detected touch operation by the pointing processing means, thereby improving the operability in pointing with a simple configuration. Further, the X-axis touch unit and the Y-axis touch unit are arranged so as not to overlap the display unit, so that the screen of the display unit is not touched, the display unit is deteriorated due to adhesion of dirt, The problem of display failure due to excessive operation was solved.

Details of the embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of an embodiment of the touch sensing device of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the touch sense device includes an X-axis touch key 12 as an X-axis touch means and an Y-axis touch as a Y-axis touch means arranged in an L shape around the display unit 11 of the device 10, for example. It has a key 13. The coordinates of the X-axis touch key 12 are, for example, X1, X2, X3,. The coordinates of the Y-axis touch key 13 are, for example, Y1, Y2, Y3,. Note that the order of the coordinates of the X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 13 may be reversed.

  FIG. 2 shows an X-axis touch key 12, for example, which is provided with a touch sensor 12a for detecting contact with a finger or the like corresponding to the coordinates of X1, X2, X3,... Xn. Similarly, a touch sensor 12a that detects contact with a finger or the like is provided on the Y-axis touch key 13 side in correspondence with the coordinates of Y1, Y2, Y3,.

  FIG. 3 shows a control system of the touch sense device, which is composed of an X-axis key sense unit 14, a Y-axis key sense unit 15, a key sense determination unit 16, a key sense processing unit 17, and a display driver 18. . The X-axis key sense unit 14 detects coordinates that are contact positions of the X-axis touch key 12 with a finger or the like. The Y-axis key sense unit 15 detects coordinates that are contact positions of the Y-axis touch key 13 with a finger or the like.

  The key sense determination unit 16 determines the X and Y coordinates detected by the X axis key sense unit 14 and the Y axis key sense unit 15. Further, the key sense determination unit 16 uses a tap number counter or a noise check timer (not shown) when determining the X and Y coordinates. A key sense processing unit 17 as a pointing processing means is a display control signal for controlling the pointing position, selection range, etc. displayed on the display unit 11 based on the X and Y coordinates determined by the key sense determination unit 16. Is output.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 to be described later, the key sense processing unit 17 determines the starting point of pointing according to the number of touch operations detected by the X-axis touch key 12 or the Y-axis touch key 13 within a predetermined time. An end point can also be defined. The key sense processing unit 17 assigns a function for directly selecting information in the X direction of the display unit 11 to the X axis touch key 12 as shown in FIGS. On the other hand, it is possible to assign a function for directly selecting information in the Y direction of the display unit 11.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15 to be described later, the key sense processing unit 17 assigns a function of sliding the screen of the display unit 11 in the X direction to the X-axis touch key 12 and sets the display unit 11 to the Y-axis touch key 13. A function of sliding the screen in the Y direction can also be assigned. The display driver 18 displays a pointing position, a selection range, and the like on the display unit 11 based on a display control signal from the key sense processing unit 17.

  FIG. 4 shows an example in which the above-described X-axis touch key 12 and Y-axis touch key 13 are provided in a mobile device 10A such as a game machine or PDA, and the X-axis touch key 12 is provided around the display unit 11a. The Y-axis touch key 13 is arranged in an L shape. The Y-axis touch key 13 is disposed on the right side of the display unit 11a, but may be disposed on the left side of the display unit 11a. In this case, operability for a left-handed user is improved. Further, the X-axis touch key 12 is disposed below the display unit 11a, but may be disposed above the display unit 11a. Reference numeral 19a in the figure indicates other keys.

  FIG. 5 shows an example in which the above-described X-axis touch key 12 and Y-axis touch key 13 are provided in a device 10B such as a television or a PC. The X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 12 around the display unit 11b are shown. The axis touch key 13 is arranged in an L shape. Note that the Y-axis touch key 13 may be arranged on the left side of the display unit 11b as described above. Further, the X-axis touch key 12 may be arranged on the upper side of the display unit 11a as described above. Reference numeral 19b in the figure indicates other keys.

  FIG. 6 shows an example when the mobile phone 10C is provided, and the X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 13 are arranged in an L shape around the display unit 11c. Note that the X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 13 may be arranged on the upper side of the display unit 11c and on the left side of the display unit 11c as described above. Reference numeral 19c in the figure indicates a numeric keypad.

  FIG. 7 shows another example when the mobile phone 10C is provided. The X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 13 are arranged in an L shape around the numeric keypad 19c.

  Next, a touch sensing method will be described. In addition, the tap demonstrated below is the press release by the finger | toe etc. to the X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 13. FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 8, after the tap number counter is set to 0 and sensor OFF confirmation is notified, it is determined whether or not the touch sensor 12a of the X-axis touch key 12 or the Y-axis touch key 13 described above is ON. (Steps S1 to S3). Here, if the touch sensor 12a is not ON, the process proceeds to a determination (step S14) as to whether or not a tap check to be described later has ended.

  When the touch sensor 12a is ON, a noise check timer is set (= Tn) in order to prevent erroneous detection due to noise or the like (step T4). Thereafter, in (step S5), the touch sensor 12a is ON. If not, the process proceeds to a determination (step S14) as to whether or not the tap check described below has been completed. On the other hand, when the touch sensor 12a is ON and the noise check timer becomes 0, the touch sensor 12a is turned ON and the tap number counter is set to +1 (steps S5 to S7).

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the ON time of the touch sensor 12a ≧ the noise check timer setting (= Tn), it is determined that the touch sensor 12a is normally ON. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the ON time of the touch sensor 12a <the noise check timer setting (= Tn), it means that the touch sensor 12a is not normally turned on and it is determined as noise. Will be.

  Next, after the tap number counter is set to +1 and the sensor ON confirmation is notified, if the touch sensor 12a is not ON (steps S8 and S9), the noise check timer is set (= Tn) (step S10), and thereafter When the touch sensor 12a is OFF (step S11) and the noise check timer is 0 (step S12), the touch sensor 12a is determined to be OFF.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9C, when the OFF time of the touch sensor 12a ≧ the noise check timer setting (= Tn), it is determined that the touch sensor 12a is normally turned OFF. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9D, when the OFF time of the touch sensor 12a <the noise check timer setting (= Tn), this means that the touch sensor 12a is not normally turned OFF and is determined as noise. Will be.

  Next, a multi-tap check timer is set to Tt in order to determine that taps that are pressed and released by a finger or the like to the X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 13 are continuously performed (step S13). That is, as shown in FIG. 9E, when the OFF time of the touch sensor 12a ≧ the noise check timer setting (= Tt), the determination of the continuous tap is completed and the number of taps is determined.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9F, when the noise check timer setting (= Tt)> the OFF time of the touch sensor 12a ≧ the noise check timer setting (= Tn), the continuous tap is activated, and the new Tap check starts. However, when the noise check timer setting (= Tn)> the OFF time of the touch sensor 12a, it is determined as noise.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the tap check is finished when Tt = 0 (step S14). If the tap check is not finished (step S2), the process proceeds to step S2, and the touch sensor 12a is rechecked. When the tap check is finished, the detected number of taps is notified (step S15).

  Next, a specific example in the touch sensing method will be described. First, FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a case where two-dimensional pointing is performed. As shown in FIG. 10A, the portions corresponding to the characters “K” to “K” of the Y-axis touch key 13 are shown. When is pressed and released once, the position of the vertical axis coordinate is determined, and for example, the cursor positioned at the character “Ne” moves to the character “K”. Here, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the position corresponding to the characters “A” to “N” on the X-axis touch key 12 is pressed and released once, the position of the horizontal axis coordinate is determined, The cursor located at the “K” character moves to the “K” character.

  Here, in the case where the enter key 19d is provided, by pressing the enter key 19d, the character “ka” is determined and displayed in the character input field 11d as shown in FIG. 10C. . If the determination key 19d is not provided, for example, the X-axis touch key 12 corresponding to the characters “A” to “NA” or the Y-axis touch key 13 corresponding to the characters “KA” to “KO” is used. By pressing twice within a certain period of time, the character “ka” can be determined.

  Next, FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a case where a selection range is designated. As shown in FIG. 11A, for example, in order to set a character “ka” as a starting point, “a” ˜ The X-axis touch key 12 corresponding to the character “ha” is pressed and released three times within a predetermined time. Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, for example, in order to set the character “ke” as the end point, the X-axis touch key 12 corresponding to the characters “e” to “to” is pressed and released once. As a result, a character in the range of “K” to “K” is selected, and a character in the range of “K” to “K” is determined by pressing the enter key 19d. In addition, by pressing and releasing the X-axis touch key 12 corresponding to the characters “e” to “to” twice, the characters “ka” to “ke” may be determined as described above. it can.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11 (c), the Y-axis touch key corresponding to the characters “sa” to “so” in the state where the characters “ka” to “ku” are selected in FIG. 11 (b). By pressing 13 once and then pressing the enter key 19d, the characters in the range of “ka” to “ke” and “sa” to “se” can be determined. By pressing and releasing the Y-axis touch key 13 corresponding to “sa” to “so” twice without pressing the enter key 19d, “ka” to “ke”, “sa” to The characters in the “se” range can be determined.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 12A, when a piece of music or the like is displayed in a plurality of lines, for example, the starting point is set by pressing and releasing the Y-axis touch key 13 corresponding to the first line three times, and FIG. As shown in (), the range for four lines can be selected by pressing and releasing the Y-axis touch key 13 corresponding to the fourth line once to set the end point. In this case, similarly to the above, the range for the four rows can be determined by pressing the enter key 19d or pressing and releasing the Y-axis touch key 13 corresponding to the fourth row twice.

  As shown in FIG. 13, it is assumed that the operation button 19e for fast rewinding, playback, fast forward, etc. of the audio player is displayed on the display unit 11. As shown in a), for example, when selecting the music of the third row, the Y-axis touch key 13 corresponding to the third row is pressed once and then played back as shown in FIG. 13 (b). By pressing and releasing the X-axis touch key 12 corresponding to the operation button 19e once, it is possible to instruct the reproduction of the selected music piece. Alternatively, playback can be determined by pressing and releasing the Y-axis touch key 13 corresponding to the third row twice.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14, an operation button 19 f and a selection button 19 g may be displayed on the display unit 11. Here, the operation button 19f relates to menu processing such as folder selection and play mode, for example, and exemplifies a case where determination is made by moving the cursor and pressing the above-described determination key 19d instead of a direct key. .

  Then, one of the operation buttons 19f can be selected by pressing and releasing the X-axis touch key 12 corresponding to one of the operation buttons 19f, and the Y-axis touch key 13 corresponding to one of the selection buttons 19g is pressed and released. Thus, any of the selection buttons 19g can be selected.

  FIG. 15 shows a case where the screen of the display unit 11 is slid, and it is assumed that a horizontal slide bar 19 h and a vertical slide bar 19 i are displayed on the display unit 11. Here, as shown in FIG. 15A, the horizontal slide bar 19h or the vertical slide bar 19i to be moved is selected. At that time, a mode to be selected and a mode not to be selected are prepared, and when selecting, the operation by the horizontal slide bar 19h or the vertical slide bar 19i and the pointing are used together.

  For example, when determining the vertical slide bar 19i, the X-axis touch key 12 is pressed once and released. Next, as shown in FIG. 15B, the Y-axis touch key 13 corresponding to the vertical slide bar 19i is pressed, and as shown in FIG. 15C, the finger is held in the Y-axis while the Y-axis touch key 13 is pressed. Move along the touch key 13. In this case, the coordinate of the Y-axis touch key 13 is changed by the finger moved along the Y-axis touch key 13, and the screen of the display unit 11 is thereby slid.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 13 are arranged in an L shape, and the X-axis touch key 12 detects a pointing touch operation in the X direction on the display unit 11. The Y-axis touch key 13 detects a pointing touch operation in the Y direction on the display unit 11, and the key sense processing unit 17 as a pointing processing unit performs pointing processing on the display unit 11 according to the detected touch operation. As described above, the operability in pointing can be improved with a simple configuration.

  That is, by arranging the X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 13 in, for example, an L shape around the display unit 11, a two-dimensional pointing operation can be performed while checking the contents of the display unit 11. In addition, the operation buttons such as the cross key can be omitted, and further space saving can be achieved.

  Further, in this embodiment, the X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 13 can be arranged so as not to overlap the display unit 11, and the screen of the display unit 11 is not touched. It is possible to solve the problem that the display unit 11 is deteriorated due to the adhesion of dirt, or the display unit 11 is broken due to excessive operation.

  If the X-axis touch key 12 and the Y-axis touch key 13 are arranged outside the periphery of the display unit 11 as shown in FIG. Can be planned.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, the key sense processing unit 17 determines the starting and end points of pointing according to the number of touch operations detected within a predetermined time by the X-axis touch key 12 or the Y-axis touch key 13. For example, an operation button for selecting a range can be omitted, and further space saving can be achieved.

  In addition, the key sense processing unit 17 assigns a function of directly selecting information in the X direction of the display unit 11 to the X axis touch key 12, and directs information in the Y direction of the display unit 11 to the Y axis touch key 13. Since the function to be selected is assigned to, the selection and reproduction of the music piece can be instructed without providing a dedicated button as shown in FIG. 13, for example.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, the key sense processing unit 17 assigns a function of sliding the screen of the display unit 11 in the X direction to the X axis touch key 12, and the display unit 11 to the Y axis touch key 13. Since the function of sliding the screen in the Y direction is assigned, the screen can be easily slid without using a dedicated slide key.

  The present invention can be applied to any device that performs information input and information selection.

It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of one Example of the touch sense apparatus of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the touch key of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the touch sense apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of providing the touch key of FIG. 1 in a mobile device. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of providing the touch key of FIG. 1 in apparatuses, such as a television and PC. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of providing the touch key of FIG. 1 in a mobile telephone. It is a figure which shows the other example at the time of providing the touch key of FIG. 1 in a mobile telephone. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a touch sensing method by the touch sensing device of FIG. 1. It is a figure for demonstrating the touch sense method by the touch sense apparatus of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the specific example of the touch sense method by the touch sense apparatus of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the specific example of the touch sense method by the touch sense apparatus of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the specific example of the touch sense method by the touch sense apparatus of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the specific example of the touch sense method by the touch sense apparatus of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the specific example of the touch sense method by the touch sense apparatus of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the specific example of the touch sense method by the touch sense apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10B device 10A mobile device 10C mobile phone 11, 11a to 11c display unit 12 X-axis touch key (X-axis touch means)
12a Touch sensor 13 Y-axis touch key (Y-axis touch means)
14 X-axis key sense unit 15 Y-axis key sense unit 16 Key sense determination unit 17 Key sense processing unit (pointing processing means)
18 Display driver

Claims (10)

A touch sensing device that accepts a pointing touch input on a display unit,
X-axis touch means for detecting a pointing touch operation in the X direction on the display unit;
Y-axis touch means for detecting a pointing touch operation in the Y direction of the display unit;
Pointing processing means for performing pointing processing in the display unit in response to a touch operation detected by the X-axis touch means or the Y-axis touch means;
The touch-sensing device, wherein the X-axis touch unit and the Y-axis touch unit are arranged in an L shape.   The touch sensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the X-axis touch unit and the Y-axis touch unit are arranged around the display unit.   The touch sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the X-axis touch unit and the Y-axis touch unit are arranged outside the periphery of the display unit.   The pointing processing unit determines a starting point and an end point of pointing according to the number of touch operations detected by the X-axis touch unit or the Y-axis touch unit within a predetermined time. The touch sense device according to any one of the above.   The pointing processing unit assigns a function of directly selecting information in the X direction of the display unit to the X-axis touch unit, and directly selects information in the Y direction of the display unit to the Y-axis touch unit. The function is assigned, The touch sense apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned.     The pointing processing unit assigns a function of sliding the screen of the display unit in the X direction to the X-axis touch unit, and assigns a function of sliding the screen of the display unit in the Y direction to the Y-axis touch unit. The touch sense device according to claim 1, wherein: A touch sensing method for accepting a pointing touch input on a display unit,
Detecting a pointing touch operation in the X direction of the display unit by one L-shaped X-axis touch means;
Detecting a pointing touch operation in the Y direction of the display unit by the other L-shaped Y-axis touch means;
And a step of performing a pointing process on the display unit in response to the detected touch operation.   The touch sense according to claim 7, further comprising a step of determining a starting point and an ending point of pointing according to the number of touch operations detected by the X-axis touch unit or the Y-axis touch unit within a predetermined time. Method.   A step of assigning a function of directly selecting information in the X direction of the display unit to the X-axis touch unit and a function of directly selecting information of the display unit in the Y direction to the Y-axis touch unit. The touch sense method according to claim 7. Allocating a function of sliding the screen of the display unit in the X direction to the X-axis touch unit, and allocating a function of sliding the screen of the display unit in the Y direction to the Y-axis touch unit. The touch sensing method according to claim 7.

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