JP2010039614A - Touch panel unit, and operation processing method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation processing method of an easy-to-use touch panel unit, reducing an incorrect operation by displaying with enlargement of the surrounding of a portion having been once touched, even when keys are closely arranged in a narrow area. <P>SOLUTION: In the operation processing method of the touch panel unit in which the surface of a display unit for displaying a plurality of keys corresponding to a variety of operations is composed of a touch panel, the method includes a first step for arranging the plurality of keys on one screen; a second step, when one key is touched, for enlarging the key and the neighboring keys; a third step, when a plurality of keys are touched, for enlarging the keys; and a fourth step, when a touch is made on another place than the keys of the touch panel, for enlarging a key located nearest to the touched place. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel device in which a surface of a display unit that displays a plurality of keys corresponding to various operations is configured by a touch panel, and an operation processing method thereof.

  In recent years, touch panels have been adopted in various apparatuses including image forming apparatuses. The touch panel has a feature that an arbitrary key can be arbitrarily arranged in an arbitrary size. On the other hand, since the keys are displayed on the panel, there is a problem specific to the touch panel that the operability is poor. Therefore, various techniques for improving operability have been proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a screen touch type input device that expands a reaction area not only immediately above the display of a switch but also in a line-of-sight direction area. Specifically, the operator's position is specified from the driver's position and the like, and when the display is viewed from the lower left, the reaction region is expanded to the right and downward of the switch that is in front of the line of sight. Thereby, it is said that the operability can be improved both when viewed from an oblique direction and when viewed from the front.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a touch panel control unit that periodically detects a touch panel attached to the front surface of a display screen of a display device and obtains a coordinate touched by an operator, and an operation for controlling a figure or character display on the display device. A processing device is provided, and a first region for temporarily selecting a button and a second region wider than the first region are allocated to each button in advance in the arithmetic processing device, and touch data from the touch panel control unit is provided. Discloses a touch panel device that temporarily selects a button when the button is in the first region, and determines the button selection when the coordinate data at the time when the finger leaves the touch panel is in the second region.
JP-A-8-95708 JP-A-11-175212

  However, in Patent Document 1, when the keys are densely packed in a narrow area, the reaction area cannot be enlarged. For this reason, there is a problem that misoperations increase. This is a common problem with touch panels with a keyboard layout in which a large number of keys are arranged on a limited-size panel, and this impedes password input and the like. Generally, when entering a password, the entered characters are hidden and the entered characters cannot be confirmed. Moreover, in patent document 2, there exists a problem that when it touches the area | region which cannot be recognized, it cannot recognize correctly.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use touch panel device that reduces erroneous operations by enlarging and displaying the periphery of a portion that has been touched even when keys are densely packed in a narrow area, and an operation processing method thereof.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a touch panel device operation processing method in which a surface of a display unit that displays a plurality of keys corresponding to various operations is configured by a touch panel. One step, a second step of enlarging the key and a key adjacent to the key when touched by one key, and a third step of enlarging those keys when touched by a plurality of keys; And a fourth step of enlarging the key closest to the touched location when touched on a location other than the keys of the touch panel.

  According to this configuration, the touched location is detected, and the keys are enlarged and displayed so as to include the keys desired by the user.

  In addition, when the enlargement is performed in the second step, it is preferable that the touched key is displayed in a different color from the other keys. Thereby, the user can visually recognize which key is touched.

  In the second step, it is desirable to enlarge the first predetermined number of keys including the touched key and the key adjacent to the key. This is for reliably enlarging and displaying the key desired by the user.

  In the third step, it is desirable to enlarge a second predetermined number of keys including a plurality of touched keys. This is for reliably enlarging and displaying the key desired by the user.

  In the fourth step, it is preferable to enlarge a third predetermined number of keys including the key closest to the touched location. This is for reliably enlarging and displaying the key desired by the user.

  The touch panel device of the present invention is configured to include any one of the operation processing methods described above.

  According to the present invention, even if the keys are densely packed in a narrow area, the user can touch a large key by enlarging the periphery of the part touched once, thereby reducing erroneous operations and improving usability. Can do. In addition, since the key is displayed in an enlarged manner, there is an effect that it is easy to see.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, the present invention can be applied to various devices using a touch panel device. In the following description, the multifunction device 1 of an image forming apparatus having a copy function, a printer function, a FAX function, and a scan function will be described as an example. . However, each element such as the configuration and arrangement described in the present embodiment does not limit the scope of the invention and is merely an illustrative example.

  First, an outline of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic front sectional view of a multifunction machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 1 of the present embodiment has a document conveying device 3a at the top, and the main body of the multifunction device 1 includes an operation panel 2, a document reading unit 3b, a sheet supply unit 4a, and a sheet conveyance. A path 4b, an image forming unit 5a, a fixing unit 5b, and the like are provided.

  The document transport device 3a automatically and continuously scans the documents loaded on the document loading tray 32 one by one by rotating the plurality of document transport roller pairs 31 during document copying. Transport toward the reading position. The document reading unit 3b reads a document and forms image data of the document. A contact glass 33 is provided on the upper surface of the document reading unit 3b, and an optical system member (not shown) such as an exposure lamp, a mirror, a lens, and an image sensor (for example, CCD) is provided in the document reading unit 3b. It is done.

  The optical system member is used to irradiate the original conveyed by the original conveying apparatus 3a or the original placed on the contact glass 33, and the output value of each pixel of the image sensor that receives the reflected light of the original. A / D conversion is performed to generate image data, and the multi function device 1 can perform printing based on the image data obtained by reading (copy function). The document conveying device 3a is provided with a fulcrum on the back side of the sheet of FIG. 1 and can be lifted. After placing the document on the contact glass 33, the document conveying device 3a presses the document.

  The sheet supply unit 4a stores a plurality of sheets (for example, various sheets such as copy sheets, plain sheets, recycled sheets, thick sheets, and OHP sheets) and sends them one by one to the sheet conveyance path 4b. The paper supply unit 4a includes a cassette 41 on which stored paper is placed, a paper feed roller 42 that is rotationally driven to feed the paper from the cassette 41 to the paper transport path 4b, and the like. For example, at the time of printing, the paper feed roller 42 is driven to rotate, and the sheets necessary for image formation are sent out one by one to the sheet conveyance path 4b.

  The paper transport path 4 b transports paper from the paper supply unit 4 a to the discharge tray 43. An image forming unit 5a, a fixing unit 5b, and the like are arranged on the paper conveyance path. In the paper transport path 4b, a guide 44 for guiding the paper, a pair of transport rollers 45 that are rotationally driven during paper transport, and the transported paper are put on standby in front of the image forming unit 5a, and toner A registration roller pair 46 and the like for feeding paper at the timing of image formation are provided.

  The image forming unit 5a forms a toner image based on the image data, and transfers the toner image to the conveyed paper. Therefore, the image forming unit 5a includes a photosensitive drum 51 supported so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1, a charging device 52, a laser scanning unit 53, and the like disposed around the photosensitive drum 51. A developing device 54, a transfer roller 55, a cleaning device 56, and the like are provided.

  The toner image formation and transfer process will be described. A photosensitive drum 51 that is provided substantially at the center of the image forming unit 5a and is driven to rotate in a predetermined direction is a charging device that is provided obliquely above and to the right of the photosensitive drum 51 in FIG. 52 is charged to a predetermined potential. The laser scanning unit 53 is provided on the right side of the charging device 52 in FIG. 1, and outputs laser light L based on image data, scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 51, and electrostatics corresponding to the image data. A latent image is formed. As the image data, image data obtained by the document reading unit 3b, image data transmitted from the user terminal 100 or the partner FAX apparatus 200 (see FIG. 2) connected via a network, or the like is used. In FIG. 1, a developing device 54 provided obliquely below and to the right of the photosensitive drum 51 supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 51 and develops it. The transfer roller 55 provided on the left side of the photosensitive drum 51 is in pressure contact with the photosensitive drum 51 to form a nip. The sheet enters the nip while being timed according to the toner image. When the paper enters, a predetermined voltage is applied to the transfer roller 55, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 51 is transferred to the paper. The cleaning device 56 removes the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 51 after the transfer.

  The fixing unit 5b fixes the toner image transferred to the paper. The fixing unit 5b in the present embodiment is mainly composed of a heating roller 57 and a pressure roller 58 that incorporate a heating element. The heating roller 57 and the pressure roller 58 are in pressure contact to form a nip. Then, as the sheet passes through the nip, the toner on the sheet surface is melted and heated, and the toner image is fixed on the sheet. The paper after toner fixing is received by the discharge tray 43. In this way, image formation (printing) is performed when the copy function and the printer function are used.

  Next, a hardware configuration of the multifunction machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the multifunction machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  A control unit 8 is provided in the multifunction device 1, and the control unit 8 controls the operation of the multifunction device 1, and includes, for example, a CPU 81, a storage unit 82, an image processing unit 83, and the like.

  The CPU 81 is a central processing unit, and controls each unit of the multifunction machine 1 based on a control program stored in the storage unit 82 and developed. In addition to the CPU 81, a display control CPU for the operation panel 2 may be provided in the operation panel 2 or the like. The image processing unit 83 performs various types of image processing on the image data to be printed and the image data transmitted to the user terminal 100 or the counterpart FAX apparatus 200.

  The storage unit 82 is configured by combining nonvolatile and volatile storage devices such as ROM, RAM, and HDD. The storage unit 82 can store various data such as a control program, control data, setting data, and image data of the multifunction machine 1. An operation guide for displaying a tutorial for each function is also stored. Further, the jam rate, the remaining toner amount, the remaining paper amount, and the like, which are the state of the image forming apparatus, can be stored as necessary.

  The control unit 8 is connected to each unit such as the operation panel 2, the document conveying device 3a, the document reading unit 3b, the sheet feeding unit 4a, the sheet conveying path 4b, the image forming unit 5a, and the fixing unit 5b through a signal line or the like. The operation of the multifunction device 1 is controlled.

  Further, the control unit 8 is connected to an I / F unit 84 (interface unit) including various connectors and sockets. The I / F unit 84 is connected to a plurality of user terminals 100 and the counterpart FAX apparatus 200 via a network, a public line, or the like, and transmits, for example, image data to the user terminal 100 or the counterpart FAX apparatus 200 (Internet FAX may be used). (Scanner function, FAX function). Also, printing can be performed based on image data from the user terminal 100 or the counterpart FAX apparatus 200 (printer function, FAX function). Further, by using the I / F unit 84, the server 300 and the multifunction device 1 in the network can be connected.

  FIG. 3 is an example of the operation panel 2 of the multifunction machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation panel 2 provided on the upper front side of the multifunction machine 1 includes various keys for input such as a numeric keypad 21 and a start key 22. The touch panel device 23 includes a liquid crystal display unit that displays images of a plurality of keys corresponding to various operations such as character input, and a transparent touch panel provided on the surface of the liquid crystal display unit. As the touch panel, various types such as a resistance film type and a capacitance type can be adopted.

  FIG. 4 shows a display example of the touch panel device 23. An image of various keys including a keyboard layout key for inputting a password is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit, and a reaction area (an area recognized as a key) is formed on the touch panel so as to overlap each key image. Yes. This input method using the keyboard layout can also be used for inputting a name when registering a phone book or inputting an e-mail comment.

  Next, an operation processing method of the touch panel device 23 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the touch panel device 23.

  Here, the password input will be described as an example. First, in step S10, the input screen shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. In this state, all keys are displayed in one screen in the keyboard layout.

  Next, it progresses to step S11 from step S10, and it is detected whether the touch panel was touched. Any part of the touch panel surface can be detected.

  If it is detected in step S11 that the touch panel has been touched, the process proceeds to step S12 to determine whether or not one reaction region has been touched, that is, whether or not only one key has been touched.

  If it is determined in step S12 that only one key has been touched, the process proceeds to step S13, and the first predetermined number of keys including the touched key and the key adjacent to the key are enlarged and displayed. The touched key is displayed in a different color from the other keys. As a result, the user again touches the enlarged key, so that the user can input while confirming whether or not an erroneous operation has been performed. Further, by displaying the touched key in a different color, the user can visually recognize which key is touched.

  For example, when the first predetermined number is 9 and the touch location 60 indicated by the broken line area in FIG. 6 is touched, the touched key is only “f”. The “f” key and the adjacent “e”, “r”, “t”, “d”, “g”, “c”, “v”, and “b” keys are enlarged and displayed. Furthermore, the touched “f” key has a different color from the “e”, “r”, “t”, “d”, “g”, “c”, “v”, and “b” keys (inverted in FIG. 6). Color).

  The first predetermined number only needs to be larger than the sum of the touched key and the key adjacent to the touched key, and may be 9 or more in the case of the key arrangement as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the user can set an arbitrary value in advance. Since the display area of the liquid crystal display unit does not change, the key enlargement ratio decreases as the first predetermined number increases. Therefore, the predetermined number may be determined in consideration of the size of the liquid crystal display unit.

  For example, when the first predetermined number is 12, the touched key, the key adjacent to the key, and the other three keys are enlarged and displayed. As a method of determining the other three keys, for example, the keys may be selected in the order of the keys closer to the touch location. In FIG. 6, since the touch location 60 protrudes above the “f” key, “f”, “e”, “r”, “t”, “d”, “g”, “c”, Except for the “v” and “b” keys, the three keys that are close to the touch location 60 are “#”, “$”, and “%”. If these keys are combined, 12 keys are enlarged and displayed. Good.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that only one key has not been touched, the process proceeds to step S14 to determine whether or not a plurality of reaction areas have been touched, that is, whether or not a plurality of keys have been touched. Determine.

  If it is determined in step S14 that a plurality of keys have been touched, the process proceeds to step S15 to enlarge and display a second predetermined number of keys including the touched keys. As a result, the user touches the enlarged key again, so that erroneous operations can be reduced.

  For example, when the second predetermined number is 9 and the touch location 61 indicated by the broken line area in FIG. 8 is touched, the touched keys are “r”, “t”, “f”, “g”. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, nine keys including the “r”, “t”, “f”, and “g” keys are enlarged and displayed. In addition to the “r”, “t”, “f”, and “g” keys, the five keys to be enlarged may be selected in the order of the keys closest to the touched part. Except for the “r”, “t”, “f”, and “g” keys, the five keys near the touch location 61 in FIG. 8 are “e”, “d”, “c”, “v”, “ b ”key, these keys are combined to form a key display as shown in FIG.

  Note that the second predetermined number only needs to be larger than the touched key, and may be four or more in the case of the key arrangement as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the user can set an arbitrary value in advance. Since the display area of the liquid crystal display unit does not change, the key enlargement ratio decreases as the second predetermined number of values increases. Therefore, the predetermined number may be determined in consideration of the size of the liquid crystal display unit. For example, when the second predetermined number is 12, in addition to the nine keys in FIG. 9, three more keys “$”, “%”, and “h” that are closer to the touch location 61 are displayed in an enlarged manner.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that a plurality of keys have not been touched, that is, if a location other than the touch panel keys has been touched, the process proceeds to step S16 and includes the key closest to the touched location. A predetermined number of 3 keys are enlarged and displayed. As a result, the user touches the enlarged key again, so that erroneous operations can be reduced.

  For example, when the third predetermined number is 9 and the touch location 62 indicated by the broken line area in FIG. 10 is touched, the touch location is touched at a place other than the key, and as shown in FIG. Nine keys including the “z” key closest to the place are enlarged and displayed. The eight keys to be expanded other than the “z” key may be selected in the order of the keys closer to the touch location. Except for the “z” key, the eight keys close to the touch location 62 in FIG. 10 are “q”, “w”, “e”, [a], “s”, “d”, “x”, “ c "key, these keys are combined to form a key display as shown in FIG.

  The third predetermined number may be one or more. It is assumed that the user can set an arbitrary value in advance. Since the display area of the liquid crystal display section does not change, the key enlargement ratio decreases as the third predetermined number of values increases. Therefore, the predetermined number may be determined in consideration of the size of the liquid crystal display unit. For example, when the third predetermined number is 12, in addition to the nine keys in FIG. 9, three more keys “!”, “” ”, And“ # ”that are closer to the touch location 62 are displayed in an enlarged manner.

  Next, from any of steps S13, S15, and S16, the process proceeds to step S17 to determine whether or not one reaction region has been touched, that is, whether or not only one key has been touched.

  If it is determined in step S17 that only one key has been touched, the process proceeds to step S18 to accept input of the touched key. In step S19, it is determined whether or not the accepted key is the input end key 63.

  If it is determined in step S19 that the input end key 63 is not selected, the process returns to step S10. That is, the continuation of the password input is accepted. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S19 that the input end key 63 is selected, the process proceeds to step S20 to recognize that the input has been completed. Thereafter, processing such as password verification is performed.

  In this way, even if the keys are densely packed in a narrow area, the user can touch the large key by enlarging the periphery of the part touched once, so that it is possible to reduce erroneous operations and improve usability. . In addition, since the key is displayed in an enlarged manner, there is an effect that it is easy to see.

  In step S13, the effect of the present invention can be obtained if at least the touched key and the key adjacent to the key are enlarged and displayed.

  In step S15, the effect of the present invention can be obtained if at least the touched key is enlarged and displayed.

  In step S16, the effect of the present invention can be obtained if at least the key closest to the touched location is enlarged and displayed.

  In addition, when a key other than the characters shown in FIG. 4, such as an arrow key, a backward key, a delete key, a stop key, a space key, and an input end key, is touched, the input is not performed in an enlarged manner. May be accepted. This is because the keys are displayed in large size and are arranged with a sufficient interval, so that it is difficult to perform an erroneous operation.

  The touch panel device of the present invention can be mounted on various electric devices such as image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, a scanner, and a complex machine thereof.

1 is a schematic front sectional view of a multifunction machine according to the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a multifunction machine according to the present invention. It is an example of the operation panel of the multifunction peripheral of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of operation of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the enlarged display example of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of operation of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the enlarged display example of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of operation of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the enlarged display example of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

23 Touch Panel Device 60-62 Touch Location

Claims (6)

In the operation processing method of the touch panel device in which the surface of the display unit that displays a plurality of keys corresponding to various operations is configured with a touch panel,
A first step of arranging a plurality of keys on one screen;
A second step of enlarging the key and a key adjacent to the key when one key is touched;
A third step of enlarging those keys when touched by a plurality of keys;
A fourth step of enlarging the key closest to the touched location when touched on a location other than the touch panel keys.   The operation processing method according to claim 1, wherein when the enlargement is performed in the second step, the touched key is displayed in a different color from the other keys.   3. The operation processing method according to claim 1, wherein in the second step, a first predetermined number of keys including a touched key and a key adjacent to the touched key are enlarged.   The operation processing method according to claim 1, wherein, in the third step, a second predetermined number of keys including a plurality of touched keys is enlarged.   5. The operation processing method according to claim 1, wherein, in the fourth step, a third predetermined number of keys including a key closest to the touched location are enlarged.   A touch panel device comprising the operation processing method according to claim 1.

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