JP2009217465A - Input device, input operation reception method, and program thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device easily operable even when not directly contacted with the device. <P>SOLUTION: The input device for receiving key input by user operation includes: key region parts which are at least a part of a surface of the device, each emit light, and are a plurality of regions to which keys are assigned respectively; a distance sensor part for detecting a distance to an object in the vertical direction with respect to the respective regions; a key input control part for outputting information displaying input of the keys assigned to regions when the distance sensor part detects an object approaching within a first distance of the region; and a light emission control part for, when the distance sensor part detects an object approaching within a second distance larger than the first distance with respect to the region, controlling the key region parts so that light is emitted in the region. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device, an input operation receiving method, and a program thereof.

Conventional mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) have a touch panel capable of detecting pressurized coordinates and a plurality of keys using physical switches (key buttons). It is detected as touching or touching a key and used as an operation input.
In addition, an optical sensor is provided on the side surface of the device or a projection from the side surface, or an optical sensor is provided in place of the key, and this optical sensor detects a finger in a space away from the device main body, Some of the spatial coordinate position, the moving speed, the acceleration, and the moving direction are calculated, and depending on the calculation result, it may be determined that a key operation or a click operation has been performed (for example, see Patent Document 1). .
JP 2004-288020 A

However, in a device equipped with a touch panel and key buttons, a person with a long nail may be difficult to operate with a finger, and the finger touches directly. There is a problem of getting dirty.
Further, in the apparatus provided with the above-described optical sensor, since the user moves his / her finger in a space away from the apparatus main body, which key operation or click operation is performed by the apparatus until an operation result is obtained. Since the user does not know whether to make the determination, there is a problem that an erroneous operation is caused and the user may have difficulty operating as intended.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an input device that can be easily operated without directly touching the device, an input operation receiving method, and a program thereof.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. An input device according to the present invention is an input device that accepts an input of a button operation by a user, and is at least a partial region of the surface of the device, A button area part, which is a plurality of areas to which buttons are assigned, a notification part for notifying the user, a position detection part for detecting the position of an object in a space including a space away from the device, and the position A button input control unit that outputs information indicating that a button assigned to the region is operated when the detection unit detects an object that has approached the region within a first distance; and the position detection unit. A notification control unit that causes the notification unit to perform notification corresponding to the area when the unit detects an object that has approached the area within a second distance greater than the first distance. And wherein the Rukoto.

  The input device according to the present invention is the above-described input device, wherein the notification control unit detects the object approaching the first distance with respect to the region. A notification corresponding to a region is made to be performed by the notification unit.

  The input device according to the present invention is any one of the above-described input devices, and the button input control unit detects the position when the information indicating that the button is operated is output. Outputs information indicating the distance from the detected object to the region or the time change of the distance, and the notification control unit, in addition to the region, the distance from the object detected by the position detection unit to the region Alternatively, the notification unit is made to perform notification corresponding to the time change of the distance.

  The input device according to the present invention is any one of the above-described input devices, wherein the notification unit causes each of the button region units to emit light, and the notification control unit transmits a notification corresponding to the region, The notification unit is configured to change light emission in the region, and the light emission change is a change in at least one of light emission luminance, light emission color, and light emission area. .

  Moreover, the input device of the present invention is any one of the above-described input devices, wherein the button area unit detects at least one of pressurization or contact with each of the areas, and the button input control unit When the button area detects pressure or contact with respect to the area, information indicating that the button assigned to the area has been operated and information indicating detection by the pressure or contact are output. And

  The input device according to the present invention is any one of the above-described input devices, wherein a trajectory generation unit that connects the positions detected by the position detection unit in time order to generate trajectory information of the object, and a plurality of trajectory patterns A trajectory pattern storage unit that stores information, a command storage unit that stores a command associated with each of the trajectory pattern information stored in the trajectory pattern storage unit, a trajectory represented by the trajectory information generated by the trajectory generation unit, The trajectory pattern information stored in the trajectory pattern storage unit is compared with the trajectory represented by each trajectory pattern, the difference between the comparison results is detected as trajectory pattern information within a predetermined range, and is associated with the detected trajectory pattern information. And a command output unit for reading out and outputting the command from the command storage unit.

  The input device according to the present invention is any one of the above-described input devices, wherein the locus detection unit generates the locus information of the object by connecting the positions detected by the position detection unit in time order, and the authentication locus pattern information. An authentication trajectory pattern storage unit that stores information, an authentication information storage unit that stores authentication information associated with authentication trajectory pattern information stored in the authentication trajectory pattern storage unit, and trajectory information generated by the trajectory generation unit A trajectory and a trajectory represented by the authentication trajectory pattern information stored in the authentication trajectory pattern storage unit are compared. When the difference between the comparison results is within a predetermined range, the trajectory is associated with the authentication trajectory pattern information. And an authentication trajectory collating unit that reads out and outputs the authentication information from the authentication information storage unit.

  The input device according to the present invention is any one of the above-described input devices, wherein the position detection unit displays an image on the liquid crystal panel and detects and captures light incident on the liquid crystal panel from the outside. The distance is detected based on an image captured by the system liquid crystal panel with a built-in optical sensor.

  Further, the input device of the present invention is the above-described input device, and when the system liquid crystal panel with a built-in optical sensor captures an image, the system liquid crystal panel with the built-in optical sensor uses a color that is easily detected by the optical sensor of the panel. The following image is displayed.

  Further, the input operation receiving method of the present invention includes a button area unit that is at least a part of the surface of the device, each of which is assigned a button, and a notification unit that notifies a user And a position detection unit that detects a position of an object in a space including a space away from the device, and the input device accepts a button operation by a user. A first step of outputting information indicating that a button assigned to the area is operated when the detection unit detects an object approaching within the first distance from the area; However, when the position detection unit detects an object that has approached the area within a second distance that is greater than the first distance, the second notification is made to cause the notification unit to perform notification corresponding to the area. Characterized in that it comprises a step.

  In addition, the program of the present invention includes at least a partial area on the surface of the device, a button area portion that is a plurality of areas each assigned a button, a notification section that notifies a user, A computer having an input device for receiving an input of a button operation by a user, the position detection unit having a position relative to the region. A button input control unit that outputs information indicating that a button assigned to the area is operated when an object approaching within a distance is detected; When an object approaching within a second distance that is greater than the distance is detected, it is made to function as a notification control unit that causes the notification unit to perform notification corresponding to the area.

  According to this invention, the position detection unit detects the position of an object in a space including a space away from the device, and information indicating that the button has been operated is output from the first distance output by the button input control unit. When the object approaching the area within the second distance is detected, the notification control unit causes the notification unit to perform notification corresponding to the area, so that the user makes the object to the device. Since the button to be operated can be grasped in advance by approaching it, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation and to operate easily without directly touching the device.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the position of the user's finger is detected using an infrared sensor or camera, and when it is determined that the finger is within a certain distance (input detection distance) from the key button, the key button is pressed A mobile phone 100 including an input device that enables non-contact key input will be described. After describing the external appearance of the mobile phone 100 with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of the mobile phone 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 is an external view of a mobile phone 100 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, an example in which the function of the input device according to the present invention is mounted on a clamshell type (folding structure) mobile phone 100 will be described. FIG. 1A shows the side where the key for input operation is provided with the cellular phone 100 opened, and FIG. 1B shows the back side thereof.

The upper speaker 117 and the lower microphone 116 in FIG. 1A are used for a call.
The operation unit (button region unit) 108 in FIG. 1A is at least a partial region on the surface of the mobile device 100 and includes a plurality of regions each provided with a key button. These areas include a cursor key 1081, an enter key 1082, a numeric keypad, *, and # key 1083. The cursor key 1081 is provided with four key buttons, which are buttons to which keys in one of the cross directions are assigned one by one. The decision key 1082 is provided with one key button to which a key representing decision is assigned. The ten key, *, and # key 1083 are provided with 12 key buttons to which one of numbers 0 to 9 and any one of * and # are assigned. These key buttons (buttons) are provided with LEDs (light emitting diodes) which are light emitting units 1084 on the back side thereof, and transmit these lights so that the user can recognize the light emitted by each LED. This LED is provided with three colors of green, orange, and red for each key button, and emits light according to an instruction from the main control unit 104. These key buttons are used for inputting a telephone number of a call destination, inputting characters of e-mail, selecting a menu, selecting a function, and the like. In addition, an infrared sensor 1071 for detecting infrared rays is disposed on each key button (1081, 1082, 1083) of the operation unit 108 in the present embodiment. Details of the infrared sensor 1071 will be described later.

The main display unit 111 in FIG. 1A and the sub display unit 112 in FIG. 1B are display devices that display images, characters, and the like. The main display unit 111 includes a liquid crystal panel 1111 and displays an e-mail, an image, a menu screen, a function setting screen, and the like according to an operation by the operation unit 108. The sub display unit 112 is provided on the back surface of the main display unit 111 and has a display area smaller than that of the main display unit 111. However, the sub display unit 112 is provided at a position where the user can see the mobile phone 100 even when the mobile phone 100 is folded. It is used as a display device for notifying the user of information.
The secondary camera 110 in FIG. 1A is a camera for a videophone function, and the main camera 109 in FIG. 1B is a camera for a digital camera function. The flash 1091 in FIG. 1B is used when a subject is imaged in a dark place using the main camera 109.

Next, the configuration of the mobile phone 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment.
Radio section 102 converts the received signal received by antenna 101 into a baseband received signal and outputs the received signal to communication control section 103. The radio unit 102 modulates a transmission signal input from the communication control unit 103 into a signal having a transmission frequency, and outputs the signal to the antenna 101 for transmission.
The communication control unit 103 performs demodulation processing on the reception signal input from the wireless unit 102 and modulation processing on the transmission signal input from the main control unit 104.
The antenna 101, the wireless unit 102, and the communication control unit 103 are communication means for performing communication via a mobile communication network, a W-LAN (wireless LAN, wireless local area network), or the like.
The main control unit 104 controls each unit by executing a program stored in the program memory 105 which is a nonvolatile memory.

  The memory 106 is a non-volatile memory that stores other management information such as information set by the user in addition to data used when making a call, e-mail, or the like. Further, as will be described later, the memory 106 operates with a gesture storage unit (trajectory pattern storage unit) 1061 that stores trajectory pattern information representing a trajectory of a three-dimensional movement (gesture) of the user's finger, and the main control unit 104. AP specific setting storage unit (command storage unit) 1062 that stores a command associated with each track pattern information, and an authentication gesture storage unit (authentication track pattern) that stores track pattern information used as user authentication information. Storage unit) 1063, and a password storage unit (authentication information storage unit) 1064 that stores a password that is authentication information associated with each of the trajectory pattern information stored in the authentication gesture storage unit 1063.

  As described with reference to FIG. 1, the distance sensor unit (position detection unit) 107 includes the infrared sensor 1071 arranged on each key button, and based on information detected by these sensor groups, the operation unit 108 includes: Detects a three-dimensional position (a distance between the key button and the vertical direction from the key button) in a space including a space away from the mobile phone 100 of the user's finger operating the key group (1081, 1082, 1083). To do. The infrared sensor 1071 detects infrared light emitted by the user's finger, and the distance sensor unit 107 determines which key of the key buttons of the operation unit 108 the user's finger is based on which infrared sensor 1071 detects infrared light. Determine if it is over the button. Furthermore, the distance sensor unit 107 determines the distance from the key button to the user's finger based on the intensity of infrared rays detected by the infrared sensor 1071. At this time, the distance sensor unit 107 measures the distance by a triangular measurement using a sound wave (ultrasonic wave) or infrared rays instead of determining the distance based on the intensity of the infrared rays detected by the infrared sensor 1071. Or a distance sensor may be provided instead of one of the infrared sensors 1071, and the distance to the finger may be determined by the distance sensor, or a camera or a line sensor may be provided. Based on whether or not the imaging result by the line sensor is in focus, it may be determined whether or not the finger is near the focal length of the camera or the line sensor.

The operation unit 108 is as described with reference to FIG. 1, and outputs a signal corresponding to the operation to the main control unit 104. In addition, LEDs (light emitting diodes), which are light emitting units (notifying units) 1084, are installed on the back side (inside) of the key buttons of the operation unit 108 so that the user can recognize the light emitted by each LED. Transmits light.
The main camera 109 and the sub camera 110 include an optical element, an imaging unit, and a video signal processing unit, convert an image of a subject into a digital signal, and output the digital signal to the main control unit 104.
The main display unit 111 is as described with reference to FIG. 1 and includes a liquid crystal panel 1111 that displays images, characters, and the like based on display signals input from the main control unit 104.
The sub display unit 112 is a liquid crystal display that displays an image, characters, and the like based on a display signal input from the main control unit 104, but is another image display unit such as an organic EL (electroluminescence) display. There may be.
The vibration unit 113 generates vibration by a motor to such an extent that the user can recognize it.
A GPS (Global Positioning System) function unit 114 receives a radio signal from a GPS satellite via an antenna and obtains the position of the mobile phone 100 on the ground.

The audio processing unit 115 converts the audio signal input from the microphone 116 into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal to the main control unit 104. Also, the audio processing unit 115 inputs the digital audio signal from the main control unit 104 and converts it into an analog audio signal. Then, the sound is output to the speaker 117 and sounded.
An RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) reader 118 reads ID information of an IC chip embedded in an external tag by short-range wireless communication via an antenna.
The Ir transmitting unit 119 and the Ir receiving unit 120 perform data communication with an external device using infrared rays.

Indicator 121 is LED (light emitting diode) which emits light and makes a user recognize, for example. The indicator 121 is provided at a position where the user can see even when the cellular phone 100 is folded, and is used as a display device for notifying the user of information in the folded state. The indicator 121 may be used as a display device that uses a plurality of LEDs of different colors and notifies the user according to the processing state of the mobile phone 100.
In addition, instead of or in addition to the vibration unit 113 and the indicator 121 used to attract the user's attention, an odor generating unit that generates an odor may be provided. In order to generate an odor, various existing techniques such as holding a plurality of chemical substances in the mobile phone 100 and mixing them can be used.
The power control unit 123 receives power from the battery 124 and supplies power to each unit.
In addition, the mobile phone 100 may have a function of performing short-range communication between the mobile phone 100 and the recording device using a short-range wireless communication technology such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  In the embodiment described below, the antenna 101, the radio unit 102, the communication control unit 103, the main camera 109, the sub display unit 112, the vibration unit 113, the GPS function unit 114, the sound processing unit 115, the microphone 116, and the speaker 117, RFID reader 118, Ir transmitter 119, Ir receiver 120, indicator 121, power supply controller 123, and battery 124 are not particularly used in the description of the present invention.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a part of the cellular phone 100 related to the sensor input processing unit 130 that functions when the main control unit 104 executes a program stored in the program memory 105. The sensor input processing unit 130 includes a gesture trajectory generation unit 1301, a key input control unit 1302, a light emission control unit 1303, a command output unit 1304, and an authentication gesture collation unit 1305. As will be described later, the application (command receiving unit) 1401, the application (password receiving unit) 1402, and the application (key input receiving unit) 1403 also function by executing a program stored in the program memory 105.

  An application (command reception unit) 1401 is a command reception unit for an application such as a Web browser or e-mail software, which functions by the main control unit 104 reading and executing an application program from the program memory 105. The command output unit 1304 receives a command specific to the application. An application (password accepting unit) 1402 is a password accepting unit of an application that is functioning when the main control unit 104 reads and executes the application program from the program memory 105 at that time, and the authentication gesture collating unit 1305 outputs A password for the application to be received is accepted. The application (key input reception unit) 1403 is a key input reception unit of an application that functions when the main control unit 104 reads and executes the application program from the program memory 105 at that time, and the key input control unit 1302. Accepts the key input for the application that is output.

The gesture trajectory generation unit (trajectory generation unit) 1301 connects the distance to the user's finger detected by the distance sensor unit 107, the key button that detects the distance, and the movement speed between the detected key buttons in time order. Generate finger trajectory information.
In the key input control unit (button input control unit) 1302, the distance sensor unit 107 detects that a user's finger approaches within a predetermined input detection distance (first distance) with respect to any key button. When this happens, information indicating that the key button assigned to the key button has been operated, that is, information indicating that the corresponding key has been input is output to the application (key input receiving unit) 1403.

  The light emission control unit (notification control unit) 1303 indicates that the distance sensor unit 107 has a value larger than the input detection distance for any of the key buttons and falls within a predetermined input advance notice distance (second distance). When it is detected that the user's finger is approaching, the light emitting unit 1084 is controlled to change the light emission of the key button from green to orange. Further, when the distance sensor unit 107 detects that the user's finger has come within the input detection distance, the light emission control unit 1303 changes the light emission unit 1084 to change the light emission of the key from orange to red. Control.

  The command output unit 1304 compares the trajectory represented by the trajectory information generated by the gesture trajectory generation unit 1301 with the trajectory represented by each trajectory pattern information stored in the gesture storage unit 1061 (trajectory pattern storage unit). The trajectory pattern information within which the difference between the results is within a predetermined range is detected, the command associated with the detected trajectory pattern information is read from the AP specific setting storage unit (command storage unit) 1062, and the application (command reception unit) is read out. 1401 is output. The authentication gesture collation unit (authentication trajectory collation unit) 1305 includes the trajectory represented by the trajectory information generated by the gesture trajectory generation unit 1301 and the authentication trajectory pattern information stored in the authentication gesture storage unit (authentication trajectory pattern storage unit) 1063. When the difference between the comparison results is within a predetermined range, the password (authentication information) associated with the authentication locus pattern information is read from the password storage unit (authentication information storage unit) 1064. To the application (password accepting unit) 1402.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram exemplifying trajectory pattern information stored in the gesture storage unit 1061 and commands stored in the AP unique setting storage unit 1062 in association with each trajectory pattern information. In the example of FIG. 4, “2 → 5 → 8 → 0”, “2⇒5⇒8⇒0”, “6⇒5⇒4”, “5 ↑” are shown in the left column (“trajectory pattern information” column). ”,“ 1, 2, 3 → 4, 5, 6 → 7, 8, 9 ”. In the middle row (“Web browser command” column) “Move down one screen”, “Scroll up”, “Move one screen left”, “Enlarge text”, “Scroll up quickly” The command which instruct | indicates a process is shown to the WEB browser (an example of an application) matched with the locus | trajectory pattern information of the same line of the left column. Not applicable to the right column (“Comm Viewer Command” column) (“−” in the figure) “Scroll Up”, “Turn Right Page”, “Enlarge”, “Close Comic” The command which instruct | indicates a process to the comic viewer (an example of an application) matched with the locus | trajectory pattern information of the same line of the left column of FIG. In this way, “right page turning” can be assigned an action similar to “right page turning” in which the center of the numeric keypad, *, and E key 1083 is moved from right to left as in “6 => 5 => 4”.

  Although not shown here, the command in the middle column is associated with the identification information of the WEB browser and stored in the AP unique setting storage unit 1062, and the command in the right column is associated with the comic viewer. Stored in the AP unique setting storage unit 1062. In addition, WEB browser commands and comic viewer commands are shown as application commands stored in the AP unique setting storage unit 1062, and commands associated with each track pattern information are shown. More than a number of commands may be associated.

  In the present embodiment, the command to the application operating on the mobile phone 100 has been described as the command associated with the trajectory pattern information. However, in addition to the application, the command to the mobile phone 100 itself (for example, the back of the main display unit 111). A command for instructing light on / off) may be associated. Further, when the command output unit 1304 outputs a command to the application (command reception unit) 1401, in addition to information representing this command, coordinates, speed, and the like in the trajectory information may be output as parameters.

  The trajectory pattern information and the command shown in FIG. 4 may be stored in the gesture storage unit 1061 and the AP specific setting storage unit 1062 respectively when the mobile phone 100 is manufactured, or set by a user operation. These may be stored, and those stored at the time of manufacture and those set by user operation may be mixed. Further, when set by a user operation, only one of the trace pattern information, the command, and the association between the trace pattern information and the command may be set by the user operation.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the sensor input processing unit 130. When the sensor input processing unit 130 starts processing, the sensor input processing unit 130 first starts the operation of each sensor of the distance sensor unit 107 (Sa1). Next, the sensor input processing unit 130 acquires information for identifying an application program that the main control unit 104 reads from the program memory 105 and executes (Sa2). Next, the sensor input processing unit 130 acquires the correspondence between each trace pattern information and the command in association with the information for identifying the application program acquired in step Sa2 from the AP specific setting storage unit 1062 (Sa3). Next, the sensor input processing unit 130 determines whether each sensor of the distance sensor unit 107 is activated (Sa4). In this determination, when it is determined that the mobile phone 100 is not activated, the sensor input processing unit 130 presses any key button of the operation unit 108 or opens the clamshell of the mobile phone 100 or the like. When a factor that causes 100 to transition from the standby state to the activated state is detected, the distance sensor unit 107 is activated, and the process proceeds to step Sa4 (Sa5).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step Sa4 that the distance sensor unit 107 is activated, the sensor input processing unit 130 is set by the user to perform sensor input using the distance sensor unit 107 (setting). ON) or not (Sa6). When it is determined that the setting has not been made, the sensor input processing unit 130 ends the process. On the other hand, when it is determined in step Sa6 that the setting has been made, the gesture trajectory generation unit 1301 of the sensor input processing unit 130 detects the finger position detected by the distance sensor unit 107 (from the key that detected the finger and the key). The distance information) is connected in time order to generate trajectory information representing the gesture of the user's finger (Sa7). Next, the command output unit 1304 is the locus pattern information stored in the gesture storage unit 1061, the authentication gesture collation unit 1305 is the locus pattern information stored in the authentication gesture storage unit 1063, and the locus generated in step Sa7. It is determined whether or not the information matches (Sa8).

  If it is determined in step Sa8 that they match, a command or password corresponding to the locus pattern information determined to match is output (Sa11), and the process proceeds to step Sa12. That is, when the command output unit 1304 determines that the trajectory information matches, the command output unit 1304 outputs a command corresponding to the trajectory information determined to match based on the correspondence between the trajectory pattern information acquired in step Sa3 and the command. When the gesture collation unit 1305 determines that the trajectory information matches, the password associated with the trajectory pattern information is read from the password storage unit 1064 and output.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step Sa8 that the trajectory information does not match, it is determined whether or not the setting is made by the user to perform non-contact key input (Sa9). When it is determined that it is not set, the process proceeds to step Sa12. On the other hand, if it is determined in step Sa9 that it is set, the sensor input processing unit 130 performs non-contact key input processing (Sa10). Details of the processing of step Sa10 will be described later with reference to FIG. Next, in step Sa12, the sensor input processing unit 130 determines whether or not the user has set the time-out for the distance sensor unit 107 (Sa12). If it is determined in this determination that it has not been set, the process proceeds to step Sa14.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the distance is set in the determination of step Sa12, the sensor input processing unit 130 determines the distance based on whether or not the distance sensor unit 107 has detected a finger for a preset time. It is determined whether the sensor unit 107 has timed out (Sa13). If it is determined that a time-out has occurred, the sensor input processing unit 130 proceeds to step Sa18 described later. On the other hand, if it is determined in step Sa13 that the time-out has not occurred, whether or not the user has set the time-out of the liquid crystal panel 1111 of the main display unit 111, which is the main display, and the distance sensor unit 107 to be linked. Is determined (Sa14). When it is determined that it is set not to be interlocked, the process proceeds to step Sa16 described later.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step Sa14 that the setting is made to be interlocked, the sensor input processing unit 130 determines whether or not the liquid crystal panel 1111 of the main display unit 111 which is the main display has timed out ( Sa15). When it is determined that the time-out has occurred, the sensor input processing unit 130 proceeds to step Sa18 described later. Next, in step Sa16, the sensor input processing unit 130 determines whether or not the setting has been made by the user so as not to perform sensor input using the distance sensor unit 107 (setting OFF) (Sa16). When it is determined that the setting OFF is set, the sensor input processing unit 130 stops the distance sensor unit 107 (Sa17) and ends the process.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step Sa16 that setting OFF is not set, that is, it is set that sensor input is performed, the process proceeds to step Sa4 and the above-described processing is repeated. As a result of the determinations at step Sa13 and step Sa15, when transitioning to step Sa18, the sensor input processing unit 130 temporarily stops the distance sensor unit 107, transitions to step Sa4, and repeats the above processing ( Sa18).

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the key non-contact input process in step Sa10 in FIG. When the distance sensor unit 107 detects the three-dimensional position of the user's finger (the distance from the key button to the key button) (Sb1), the sensor input processing unit 130 obtains this, and then notifies the user of the key non-contact input. It is determined whether or not the user has set to emit light (Sb2). Here, when it is determined that it is not set, the sensor input processing unit 130 proceeds to step Sb5. On the other hand, if it is determined in step Sb2 that it is set, the light emission control unit 1303 determines the distance from the key button previously acquired by the sensor input processing unit 130 from the distance sensor unit 107 in advance. It is determined whether it is within the input notice distance (Sb3). When it is determined that it is not within the input advance notice distance, the sensor input processing unit 130 proceeds to step Sb5. On the other hand, if it is determined in step Sb3 that it is within the input advance notice distance, the light emission control unit 1303 changes the light emission of the key previously acquired from the distance sensor unit 107 by the sensor input processing unit 130 from green to orange. The light emitting unit 1084 is controlled so as to be changed, that is, to perform preliminary light emission (Sb4).

  Next, in step Sb5, the light emission control unit 1303 and the key input control unit 1302 of the sensor input processing unit 130 determine the distance from the key button previously acquired from the distance sensor unit 107 by the sensor input processing unit 130 in advance. It is determined whether or not it is within the input detection distance (Sb5). When it is determined that it is not within the input detection distance, the sensor input processing unit 130 ends the key button non-contact input processing. On the other hand, if it is determined in step Sb5 that it is within the input detection distance, the light emission control unit 1303 changes the light emission of the key button previously acquired from the distance sensor unit 107 by the sensor input processing unit 130 from orange to red. The light emitting unit 1084 is controlled so that the key input acceptance light emission is performed (Sb6). Further, the button input control unit 1302 outputs information representing the key button input previously acquired from the distance sensor unit 107 by the sensor input processing unit 130 to the application (key input receiving unit) 1403 (Sb7), The contact input process is terminated.

  As described above, when the distance sensor unit 107 detects the distance between the user's finger and the key button and the distance is within the input notice distance that is larger than the input detection distance, the light emission control unit 1303 displays the light emission unit 1084. Since the light emission of the corresponding key is changed, the user can grasp in advance the key to be input by his / her own operation, thus preventing erroneous input and operating easily without directly touching the device. be able to.

In addition, when inputting sufficient information such as commands and authentication, the memory 106 stores trajectory pattern information in which the difference from the finger trajectory detected by the distance sensor unit 107 is within a certain range. By detecting a command or password associated with the track pattern information from the memory 106 and inputting the command or password to the application, the user can easily operate the device without touching the device directly.
As for password input, in the case of input using a keyboard or the like, the application treats information input from the keyboard as a password after an operation for selecting a displayed password input area is performed by the user. In this embodiment, when the password input area is displayed, if the difference between the finger trace detected by the distance sensor unit 107 and the trace pattern information of the authentication gesture is within a certain range, the password is displayed as a password. Thus, the operation for the user to select the input area for the displayed password becomes unnecessary.

In this embodiment, the light emission control unit 1303 emits light from the key button corresponding to the light emission unit 1084 when the distance to the finger detected by the distance sensor unit 107 is within the input advance notice distance or the input detection distance. Although it has been described that the color is changed, the luminance of light emission and the area of light emission may be changed by using a plurality of LEDs arranged on each key button.
Further, when the distance to the finger detected by the distance sensor unit 107 falls within the input advance notice distance or the input detection distance, the light emission control unit 1303 changes the light emission when the light emission control unit 1303 changes the light emission of the key button. The pattern is determined according to the distance detected by the distance sensor unit 107 or the time change of the distance, for example, the blinking interval is shortened as the distance is shorter, and the button input control unit 1302 further determines that the distance sensor unit 107 The information indicating the detected distance or the time change of the distance may be output together with the information indicating the input of the key button. By doing so, an application that has input such information uses the information indicating the distance or its time change as information indicating the strength of pressing the key, and displays the character of the input key. The size and color can be changed according to the distance or the information representing the change over time.

  In this embodiment, the light emitting unit 1084 notifies the user of the input advance notice or input detection. However, a sound generation unit is provided to notify the user by changing the pitch, length, interval of sound generation, and the like. Alternatively, the display content of the main display unit 111 may be changed and notified, or the casing 113 may be vibrated and notified by the vibration unit 113. Further, the light emitting unit 1084 may be provided not near each key button but near each key button or away from the key button.

  Each key button of the operation unit 108 includes a mechanical contact type switch so that it can be detected that the pressure is applied, or a touch pad such as a capacitance pad so that it can be detected that the button is touched. When the button input control unit 1302 detects pressurization or contact with a key button, the input of the key is pressed or pressed together with information indicating the input of the key assigned to the key button. Information indicating detection by contact may be output to the application (key input receiving unit) 1403. When a touch pad such as a capacitance pad is used as a key button of the operation unit 108, instead of using a touch pad for each key button, one touch pad is divided into a plurality of areas, and each area is associated with a key. The button input control unit 1302 may output information representing a key input corresponding to a region where contact is detected.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the trajectory information and the trajectory pattern information are described as information that connects the distance to the finger and the key button that detects the distance and the moving speed between the key buttons in time order. Information that connects at least one of the key buttons and the moving speed (or time interval) in time order, for example, information that connects the distance to the finger in time order, The information which connected the moving speed in time order may be sufficient.

Further, the distance to the finger in the trajectory information and the trajectory pattern information may include touching the key button with the finger. Thereby, when photographing with the main camera 109 of the mobile phone 100 or the like, the focus pattern information of the locus moved until the distance from the key button used as the shutter button to the finger becomes a predetermined distance is instructed to focus. A command for instructing to release the shutter may be assigned to the locus pattern information of the locus where the finger touches the key button. Alternatively, a font selection command may be assigned to a locus where no key button is touched, and a command indicating character input (key button press) may be assigned to a locus where the key button is touched. A command for scrolling the screen or moving the pointer may be assigned to a locus where the key button is not touched, and a command representing a click may be assigned to a locus where the key button is touched.
In the present embodiment, the distance to the finger has been described as being determined by the infrared sensor 1071 included in the distance sensor unit 107, but an image captured by the sub camera 110 may be used together.

[Second Embodiment]
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The cellular phone 100a in this embodiment is different from the cellular phone 100 shown in FIG. 1 only in the arrangement of the infrared sensor 1071a provided in the distance sensor unit 107a. In the cellular phone 100, the infrared sensor 1071 is arranged on each key button, whereas in the cellular phone 100a in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the infrared sensor 1071a includes a cursor key 1081, a decision key 1082, They are arranged between the key buttons of the ten key, *, and # key 1083.

  Even when the infrared sensor 1071a is arranged in this manner, the distance sensor unit 107a detects the three-dimensional position of the user's finger, and the other units operate in the same manner as the mobile phone 100, so that the user himself Since it is possible to grasp in advance the key to be input by this operation, it is possible to prevent erroneous input and to operate easily without directly touching the device.

[Third Embodiment]
The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The mobile phone 100b according to this embodiment provided with the input device according to the present invention has two differences from the mobile phone 100 shown in FIG. The first is a system with a built-in optical sensor, in which the main display unit 111b of the mobile phone 100b includes a liquid crystal panel 1111 and an optical sensor 1112 that detects external light at a position corresponding to each pixel of the glass substrate. It is composed of a liquid crystal panel and displays images, characters, etc., and detects and captures light incident on the main display unit 111b from the outside, and the optical sensor 1112 of the main display unit 111b determines the distance to the finger. This is a point to be determined based on the captured image. The second point is that the operation unit 108 is not provided, buttons are displayed on the main display unit 111b, and a user operation on these buttons is detected by the optical sensor 1112 described above.

  FIG. 8 is an external view of the mobile phone 100b in the present embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals (116, 117, 109, 110, 1091) are assigned to the parts corresponding to the respective parts in FIG. The mobile phone 100b is a bar-type mobile phone, and unlike the mobile phones 100 and 100a, the operation unit 108 having key buttons such as a numeric keypad, *, and # key 1083, a distance sensor unit 107, and a sub display unit 112, an image representing the operation button is displayed in an area to which the operation button is assigned in the liquid crystal panel 1111 of the main display unit 111b, and the operation on the button is detected by a light sensor (position detection). Part) 1112 to detect. In addition to key buttons to which keys such as numbers are assigned, buttons for operating the mobile phone 100b, such as an off-hook button, an on-hook button, and a button for operating an application running on the mobile phone, For example, a home button and a return button of a web browser are included.

  Further, the format of the trajectory pattern information stored in the gesture storage unit 1061b and the authentication gesture storage unit 1063b of the memory 106b is different from the format of the trajectory pattern information in the mobile phones 100 and 100a. FIG. 8A shows the side on which the main display portion 111b for input operation of the cellular phone 100b is provided, and FIG. 1B shows the back side thereof.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the mobile phone 100b in the present embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals (101 to 105, 110, 113 to 121, 124, and 125) are assigned to portions corresponding to the respective portions in FIG. The memory 106b is a non-volatile memory that stores other management information such as information set by the user in addition to data used when making a call, e-mail, or the like, similar to the memory 106 in FIG. However, the memory 106b is different from the memory 106 in FIG. 2 in that a gesture storage unit 1061b and an authentication gesture storage unit 1063b are provided instead of the gesture storage unit 1061 and the authentication gesture storage unit 1063.

  The gesture storage unit 1061b and the authentication gesture storage unit 1063b are different from the gesture storage unit 1061 and the authentication gesture storage unit 1063 in FIG. Specifically, in the gesture storage unit 1061 and the authentication gesture storage unit 1063 in FIG. 2, the key button and the distance from the key button are used to represent the position in the trajectory pattern information, but the gesture storage unit 1061b The authentication gesture storage unit 1063b is different in that relative coordinates (three-dimensional coordinates such as X, Y, and Z) based on the main display unit 111b are used.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram showing a part of the cellular phone 100b related to the sensor input processing unit 130b that functions when the main control unit 104 executes a program stored in the program memory 105. The sensor input processing unit 130b includes a gesture trajectory generation unit 1301b, a button input control unit 1302b, a light emission control unit 1303b, a command output unit 1304b, and an authentication gesture collation unit 1305b. The application (command reception unit) 1401, the application (password reception unit) 1402, and the application (button input reception unit) 1403b also function by executing a program stored in the program memory 105.

  The application (command receiving unit) 1401 is a command receiving unit for an application such as a Web browser or e-mail software, as with the application (command receiving unit) 1401 in FIG. 3, and is specific to the application output by the command output unit 1304b. Accept commands. The application (password accepting unit) 1402 is an application password accepting unit, similar to the application (password accepting unit) 1402 in FIG. 3, and accepts a password for the application output by the authentication gesture collating unit 1305b. The application (button input reception unit) 1403b is a button input reception unit of the application, and receives information indicating that the button for the application output from the button input control unit 1302b is operated.

  The gesture trajectory generation unit (trajectory generation unit) 1301b generates trajectory information of the user's finger by connecting the position of the user's finger detected by the optical sensor 1112 and the detected movement speed of the finger in time order. When the optical sensor 1112 detects that the user's finger approaches the button displayed on the liquid crystal panel 1111 within a predetermined input detection distance (first distance), the button input control unit 1302b Information indicating that the button has been operated, that is, information indicating that the button has been pressed is output to the application (key input receiving unit) 1403.

  The light emission control unit (notification control unit) 1303b has a value that is larger than the input detection distance for any of the buttons displayed on the liquid crystal panel 1111 by the optical sensor 1112 and has a predetermined input notice distance (second When the user's finger approaches within the distance, the liquid crystal panel 1111 is controlled to display the shadow of the button. Further, when the light sensor 1112 detects that the user's finger has come within the input detection distance, the light emission control unit 1303b controls the liquid crystal panel 1111 to change the button image.

  The command output unit 1304b compares the trajectory represented by the trajectory information generated by the gesture trajectory generation unit 1301b with the trajectory represented by each trajectory pattern information stored in the gesture storage unit (trajectory pattern storage unit) 1061b. The trajectory pattern information within which the difference between the results is within a predetermined range is detected, the command associated with the detected trajectory pattern information is read from the AP specific setting storage unit (command storage unit) 1062, and the application (command reception unit) is read out. 1401 is output. Further, when the command output unit 1304b outputs a command to the application (command reception unit) 1401, in addition to information representing this command, coordinates, speed, and the like in the trajectory information may be output as parameters. For example, in the trajectory information, the coordinates when the distance to the main display unit 111b becomes zero (when the main display unit 111b is touched) are output together with an enlargement or reduction command, You may make it enlarge or reduce an image centering on the coordinate of a parameter. When strong light such as fluorescent light or sunlight is incident on the optical sensor 1112, and the optical sensor 1112 cannot determine the distance to the finger, the command output unit 1304b and the authentication gesture verification unit 1305b The command or password may be determined using information obtained by removing the distance from the key button from the pattern information and the trajectory information.

  When an operation image including operation buttons and the like is displayed on a display with a touch panel, the image is hidden by a hand operating the touch panel. For this reason, in an apparatus using a display with a touch panel, the image is switched when the user releases the touched hand, not when the user touches the display, so that the user can easily recognize the switching of the image. However, the cellular phone 100b according to the present embodiment detects the movement of the finger away from the main display unit 111b by the optical sensor 1112, and switches the image based on the detection result. For this reason, since the image hidden by the operating hand is smaller than the touch panel and the user can recognize the switching of the image even if there is an operating hand, when the optical sensor 112 detects the movement of the finger, that is, After finishing the operation, the mobile phone 100b can switch images by an application without waiting for the operating hand to be withdrawn.

  In the application, an application (command receiving unit) 1401, an application (password receiving unit) 1402, and an application (button input receiving unit) 1403b receive an input of a command, a password, and a button operation from the sensor input processing unit 130b. Direct input from the sensor 1112 may be accepted. Thereby, for example, in the case of an application for image editing, the editing function can be switched by a command from the sensor input processing unit 130b, and handwritten characters and pictures can be drawn by direct input from the optical sensor 1112.

  The authentication gesture collation unit (authentication trajectory collation unit) 1305b includes the trajectory represented by the trajectory information generated by the gesture trajectory generation unit 1301b and the authentication trajectory pattern information stored in the authentication gesture storage unit (authentication trajectory pattern storage unit) 1063b. When the difference between the comparison results is within a predetermined range, the authentication information associated with the authentication locus pattern information is read from the password storage unit (authentication information storage unit) 1064 and the application (Password accepting unit) Output to 1402.

  The optical sensor 1112 images as described above, and detects a finger in the image obtained by the imaging. At this time, the optical sensor 1112 determines the distance from the main display unit 111b to the finger from the size of the finger in the image, and determines the spatial position relative to the main display unit 111b from the distance and the position of the finger in the image. To detect. The optical sensor 1112 determines the speed in the vertical direction with respect to the main display unit 111b of the finger from the change in the size of the finger in the image. Based on the determined distance or speed, the light emission control unit 1303b may control the liquid crystal panel 1111 to change the button image. As an example of how to change the image of this button, for example, as the distance is shorter or the speed is faster, the brightness of the button is increased, the size of the button is increased, the font of the character displayed on the button is changed, For example, change the size of the button shadow.

  When the light sensor 1112 detects a finger in the image, the light emission control unit 1303b may cause the liquid crystal panel 1111 to display an image in a color that the light sensor 1112 can easily detect. Furthermore, at this time, only an area corresponding to the position where the finger is detected may be an image having a color that the optical sensor 1112 can easily detect. Thereby, the optical sensor 1112 can easily detect the position of the finger more accurately, and the user can grasp the position of the finger detected by the mobile phone 100b. The mobile phone 100b can determine the distance from the main display unit 111b to the finger based on the luminance of the finger (determines that the higher the luminance is, the closer it is), and can change the button image based on the distance or speed as described above. . At this time, by displaying an image in an area other than the position where the finger is detected, the user can operate without hesitation.

  In the present embodiment, the optical sensor 1112 has been described as performing the determination of the distance from the main display unit 111b to the finger or the speed in the direction, but instead of this, a sound wave (ultrasonic wave) or infrared light is used. A distance measuring sensor that measures the distance by triangular measurement or the like may be provided, and the distance to the finger may be determined by the distance measuring sensor, or a camera or a line sensor may be provided, and an imaging result obtained by the camera or the line sensor. Whether or not the finger is near the focal length of the camera or the line sensor may be determined based on whether or not there is a focal point.

  As described above, when the optical sensor 1112 detects the distance between the user's finger and the button and the distance is within the input advance notification distance that is larger than the input detection distance, the light emission control unit 1303b displays the distance to the liquid crystal panel 1111. Since the screen display of the buttons is changed, the user can know in advance which buttons will be operated by his / her actions, thus preventing erroneous input and easy operation without touching the device directly. Can do.

  A program for realizing the functions of the sensor input processing unit 130 in FIG. 3 and the sensor input processing unit 130b in FIG. 4 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is stored in the computer. The sensor input process may be performed by reading the system and executing it. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.

Further, the “computer system” includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.
The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, and a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built in the computer system. Furthermore, the “computer-readable recording medium” dynamically holds a program for a short time like a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In this case, a volatile memory in a computer system serving as a server or a client in that case, and a program that holds a program for a certain period of time are also included. The program may be a program for realizing a part of the functions described above, and may be a program capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design changes and the like within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

  The present invention is suitable for use in a portable device such as a cellular phone, but is not limited thereto.

1 is an external view of a mobile phone 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile phone 100 in the same embodiment. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing a part of the mobile phone 100 related to the sensor input processing unit 130 in the same embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the command which the AP specific setting memory | storage part 1062 memorize | stores in association with the locus | trajectory information memorize | stored in the gesture memory | storage part 1061 in each embodiment, and each locus | trajectory information. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the sensor input process part 130 in the embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the key non-contact input process of step Sa10 in the embodiment. It is an external view of the mobile telephone 100a by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an external view of the mobile telephone 100b by 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone 100b in the same embodiment. It is the schematic block diagram which showed the part of the mobile telephone 100b relevant to the sensor input process part 130b in the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 100a ... Mobile phone 101 ... Antenna 102 ... Radio | wireless part 103 ... Communication control part 104 ... Main control part 105 ... Program memory 106 ... Memory 1061 ... Gesture memory | storage part 1062 ... AP specific setting memory | storage part 1063 ... Authentication gesture memory | storage part 1064 ... Password storage unit 107 ... Distance sensor unit 1071, 1071a ... Infrared sensor 108 ... Operation unit 1081 ... Cursor key 1082 ... Enter key 1083 ... Numeric keypad, *, # key 109 ... Main camera 110 ... Sub camera 111 ... Main display unit 1111 ... Liquid crystal Panel 1112 ... Optical sensor 112 ... Sub display part 113 ... Vibrating part 114 ... GPS function part 115 ... Audio processing part 116 ... Microphone 117 ... Speaker 118 ... RFID reader 119 ... Ir transmitting part 120 ... Ir receiving part 121 ... Indicator 23 ... power supply control unit 124 ... battery 130 ... sensor input processing unit 1301 ... gesture trajectory generation unit 1302 ... key input control unit 1303 ... emission control unit 1304 ... command output section 1305 ... authentication gesture matching unit

Claims (11)

In an input device that accepts an input of a button operation by a user,
A button area portion which is at least a part of the surface of the device and is a plurality of areas each assigned a button;
A notification unit for notifying the user;
A position detector for detecting the position of an object in a space including a space away from the device;
A button input control unit that outputs information indicating that a button assigned to the region has been operated when the position detection unit detects an object that has approached the region within a first distance;
A notification control unit for causing the notification unit to perform a notification corresponding to the area when the position detection unit detects an object that has approached the area within a second distance greater than the first distance; An input device comprising the input device.   The notification control unit causes the notification unit to perform a notification corresponding to the region when the position detection unit detects an object that has approached the region within the first distance. The input device according to claim 1. When the button input control unit outputs information indicating that the button has been operated, the button input control unit outputs information indicating the distance from the object whose position is detected by the position detection unit to the region or the time change of the distance. And
In addition to the region, the notification control unit causes the notification unit to perform a notification corresponding to a distance from an object whose position is detected by the position detection unit to the region or a time change of the distance. The input device according to claim 1 or 2. The notification unit causes each region of the button region unit to emit light,
The notification control unit causes the notification unit to perform notification corresponding to the region by changing light emission of the region,
The input device according to claim 1, wherein the change in light emission is at least one change among luminance of light emission, color of light emission, and area of light emission. . The button area part detects at least one of pressurization or contact with each of the areas,
When the button area unit detects pressurization or contact with respect to the area, the button input control unit performs detection by the pressurization or contact together with information indicating that a button assigned to the area is operated. The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein information to be output is output. A trajectory generator that connects the positions detected by the position detector in chronological order to generate trajectory information of the object;
A locus pattern storage unit for storing a plurality of locus pattern information;
A command storage unit that stores a command associated with each of the trajectory pattern information stored in the trajectory pattern storage unit;
The trajectory represented by the trajectory information generated by the trajectory generation unit is compared with the trajectory represented by each trajectory pattern information stored in the trajectory pattern storage unit, and the difference between the comparison results is trajectory pattern information within a predetermined range. And a command output unit that reads out and outputs a command associated with the detected locus pattern information from the command storage unit. The input device described in 1. A trajectory generator that connects the positions detected by the position detector in chronological order to generate trajectory information of the object;
An authentication locus pattern storage unit for storing authentication locus pattern information;
An authentication information storage unit for storing authentication information associated with the authentication track pattern information stored in the authentication track pattern storage unit;
When the trajectory represented by the trajectory information generated by the trajectory generation unit is compared with the trajectory represented by the authentication trajectory pattern information stored in the authentication trajectory pattern storage unit, and the difference between the comparison results is within a predetermined range. The authentication trajectory collating unit that reads out the authentication information associated with the authentication trajectory pattern information from the authentication information storage unit and outputs the authentication information. 6. The input device described in 1. The position detection unit displays an image on the liquid crystal panel, and detects the distance based on an image captured by the liquid crystal panel with a built-in optical sensor that detects and captures light incident on the liquid crystal panel from the outside. The input device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the input device is characterized.   9. The input according to claim 8, wherein when the optical sensor built-in system liquid crystal panel takes an image, the optical sensor built-in system liquid crystal panel displays an image having a color that is easily detected by the optical sensor of the panel. apparatus. A space that includes at least a part of the surface of the device, a button region portion that is a plurality of regions each assigned with a button, a notification portion that notifies the user, and a space away from the device An input operation receiving method in an input device that receives a button operation input by a user, and a position detection unit that detects a position of an object in
When the input device detects an object that has approached the region within a first distance, the input device outputs information indicating that a button assigned to the region has been operated. And the process
When the input device detects an object approaching within a second distance larger than the first distance with respect to the region, the input device causes the notification unit to perform notification corresponding to the region. An input operation reception method comprising: a second step. A space that includes at least a part of the surface of the device, a button region portion that is a plurality of regions each assigned with a button, a notification portion that notifies the user, and a space away from the device A position detection unit that detects the position of an object in the computer, and a computer provided with an input device that receives an input of a button operation by a user
A button input control unit that outputs information indicating that a button assigned to the region has been operated when the position detection unit detects an object that has approached the region within a first distance;
When the position detection unit detects an object that has approached the area within a second distance greater than the first distance, it functions as a notification control unit that causes the notification unit to perform notification corresponding to the area Program to let you.

Images