JP2012043395A - Input detection method, input detection device, input detection program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input detection method, an input detection device, an input detection program and a recording medium that are capable of precisely detecting multi-point input even when there is input by multi-point contact with contact points being in close vicinity each other.SOLUTION: The input detection method for detecting input by separating each contact point when there is input by the multi-point contact to a touch sensor comprises steps of: sequentially labeling a plurality of contact regions 43 and 45 when the plurality of contact regions 43 and 45 with a non-contact region 44 in between are detected by scanning a first electrode line; determining a position of the non-contact region as an isolation region when the non-contact region between the labels has less than or equal to a predetermined spacing; and treating a region corresponding to the isolation region on the first electrode line over a second electrode line as a non-contact region when the second electrode line next to the first electrode line where the isolation region is detected is scanned. The label is detected by sequentially performing each of the steps to each electrode line.

Description

  The present invention relates to an input detection method, an input detection apparatus, an input detection program, and a recording medium thereof, and in particular, has electrodes arranged in a matrix and detects contact by scanning the electrodes in a line. The present invention relates to an input detection method, an input detection device, an input detection program, and a recording medium for separating and detecting each contact point when there is an input by multi-point contact on a touch sensor.

  Conventionally, when each pixel is sequentially scanned in a captured image represented by binarized data, an identification number for each connected region in the captured image is determined according to the pixel data values of the pixel of interest and its surrounding pixels. An image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and an image in which additional information (position information and area information) for each connected region corresponding to each label information is updated as needed while assigning a register number (label information) to the target pixel as needed An input device and an image input / output device are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With this process, label information and position information about the entire captured image can be obtained by one sequential scanning, and high-speed labeling can be performed.

JP 2010-39732 A

  However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1 described above, when used as an image input device, when there is an input by multipoint contact in which two fingers are in close contact with each other, two fingers are one. There is a problem in that it is recognized as one lump, and only one label is attached to two fingers, so that a multipoint input cannot be accurately detected.

  On the other hand, in recent years, multi-touch screens are often used in smartphones, etc., but if multi-point contact cannot be accurately recognized, move the operation target on the screen with two fingers. There is a problem that a pinch-in operation for reducing the screen or a pinch-out operation for enlarging the screen by moving two fingers apart cannot be recognized correctly, resulting in a malfunction.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an input detection method, an input detection device, an input detection program, and a recording medium that can accurately detect a multipoint input even when there is an input due to multipoint contact in which the contact points approach each other. And

In order to achieve the above object, an input detection method according to a first aspect of the present invention is a touch sensor that includes electrodes arranged in a matrix and internally scans the electrode lines on which the electrodes are arranged to detect contact. In addition, when there is an input by multi-point contact, an input detection method for detecting each contact point separately,
A labeling step of scanning the first electrode line and sequentially labeling the plurality of contact areas when a plurality of contact areas are detected across the non-contact area in the scanning direction;
When the non-contact area between the labels is within a predetermined interval, a separation area detection step for determining the position of the non-contact area as a separation area;
The separation region on the first electrode line on the second electrode line when scanning a second electrode line that is a scan line next to the first electrode line in which the separation region is detected A forced off step forcibly turning off the detection signal of the area corresponding to, and treating it as a non-contact area,
A contact point detecting step of sequentially executing the labeling step, the separation region detecting step, and the forced off step on each electrode line to detect the label as a contact point.

  Thereby, when a plurality of fingers approach and come into contact with the touch panel, it is possible to reliably detect a gap generated between the fingers and accurately detect a multipoint contact from the detected gap.

The second invention is the input detection method according to the first invention,
A predetermined coordinate system is set for the touch sensor, and the predetermined interval is a distance corresponding to one or two coordinate points.

  This makes it possible to accurately detect the typical contact state of contact by a plurality of approaching fingers, and to detect a distant finger that is not difficult to detect and a non-contact area due to a bias in the pressing force. It is possible to accurately detect the multipoint input of the approaching fingers.

A third invention is an input detection method according to the first or second invention,
The electrodes are sequentially scanned in at least one direction of the matrix arrangement.

A fourth invention is an input detection method according to any one of the first to third inventions,
The electrodes are sequentially scanned in both directions of a matrix arrangement.

  Thereby, even when there is an interval in a direction different from the normal scanning direction, it is possible to reliably detect multipoint contact.

A fifth invention is an input detection method according to the fourth invention, wherein:
The electrodes are scanned in one direction after all directions in the matrix arrangement are scanned.

A sixth invention is an input detection method according to the fifth invention, wherein
For the horizontal scan, both the scan in the order from the lower electrode line to the upper electrode line and the scan in the order from the upper electrode line to the lower electrode line are performed. The scanning is characterized in that both scanning in the order from the leftmost electrode line to the rightmost electrode line and scanning in the order from the rightmost electrode line to the leftmost electrode line are performed.

  Thereby, since double scanning is performed in each direction, multipoint contact can be reliably detected.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an input detection device including a plurality of electrodes arranged in a matrix, and a multi-point contact input to a touch sensor that sequentially scans the electrode lines on which the electrodes are arranged to detect contact. Is an input detection device that detects each contact point separately,
Scanning means for scanning the first electrode line so as to detect a contact area and a non-contact area on the first electrode line;
Labeling means for sequentially labeling the plurality of contact areas when a plurality of contact areas in the scanning direction are detected by the scanning means across the non-contact areas;
When the non-contact area is within a predetermined interval, a separation area detection unit that determines the position of the non-contact area as a separation area;
When the scanning means scans a second electrode line that is a scan line next to the first electrode line in which the separation region is detected, the first electrode line on the second electrode line is scanned. A forced off means for forcibly turning off the detection signal of the region corresponding to the separation region, and performing processing to handle as a non-contact region,
And a position calculating unit that applies the label to each contact point by causing the scanning unit to sequentially scan each electrode line, and calculates the position of each contact point from the label.

An eighth invention is the input detection device according to the seventh invention, wherein
A predetermined coordinate system is set for the touch sensor, and the predetermined interval is a distance corresponding to one or two coordinate points.

A ninth invention is the input detection device according to the seventh or eighth invention,
The scanning unit sequentially scans the electrode lines in at least one direction of the matrix arrangement.

A tenth invention is an input detection device according to any one of the seventh to ninth inventions,
The scanning unit sequentially scans the bidirectional electrode lines arranged in a matrix.

An eleventh invention is the input detection device according to the tenth invention,
The scanning unit scans all the electrode lines in one direction in a matrix arrangement, and then scans the electrode lines in another direction.

A twelfth invention is the input detection device according to the eleventh invention,
For the horizontal electrode lines, the scanning means starts scanning from the lower electrode line and ends scanning at the upper electrode line, and starts scanning from the upper electrode line and starts scanning from the lower electrode line. Scans in the order of ending the scan at the line, and for the vertical electrode line, the scan in the order of starting from the leftmost electrode line and ending the scan at the rightmost electrode line, and the rightmost electrode line The scanning is started from the beginning, and both scannings in the order of ending the scanning with the leftmost electrode line are performed.

A thirteenth invention is the input detection device according to any one of the seventh to twelfth inventions,
A touch sensor module;
A drive circuit for the touch sensor module is provided.

A fourteenth invention is the input detection device according to the thirteenth invention,
A liquid crystal display device arranged to overlap the touch sensor and displaying an input screen of the touch sensor is further provided.

  A recording medium according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention has electrodes arranged in a matrix, and the touch sensor that detects the contact by scanning the electrodes in a line shape receives input by multipoint contact. A computer-readable medium recording an input detection program for causing a computer to execute the input detection method according to any one of the first to sixth inventions.

  An input detection program according to a sixteenth aspect of the invention has electrodes arranged in a matrix inside, and the touch sensor that detects the contact by scanning the electrodes in a line shape receives an input by multipoint contact. An input detection program for causing a computer to execute the input detection method according to any one of the first to sixth inventions.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to separately detect an input caused by multipoint contact with a touch sensor.

1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an input device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is the figure which showed an example of the internal structure of a touch sensor. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the entire processing flow of the input detection method according to the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the finger label separation algorithm of the input detection method which concerns on Example 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the determination method of the isolation | separation area | region in the input detection method and input detection apparatus which concern on Example 1. FIG. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of a multipoint contact state. FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the V zone region. FIG. 5C is a diagram showing a state where a part of the finger is detected as non-contact. It is the figure which showed an example of the processing flow of 1 line of the finger label separation algorithm performed with the input detection method and input detection apparatus which concern on Example 1. FIG. It is the figure which showed the input detection result by the conventional input detection method and input detection apparatus as a comparative example. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a case where two fingers are detected as a V zone having an interval of one coordinate. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a case where two fingers are detected as a V zone having an interval of two coordinates. It is the figure which showed the input detection result by the input detection method and input detection apparatus which concern on Example 1. FIG. FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a case where two fingers are detected as a V zone having an interval of one coordinate. FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating a case where two fingers are detected as a V zone having an interval of two coordinates. It is the figure which showed an example of the input detection method and input detection apparatus which concern on Example 2. FIG. It is the figure which showed an example of the input detection method and input detection apparatus which concern on Example 3. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an input detection device according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 11A is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the Y electrode. FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the X electrode. It is the figure which showed the state which piled up the X electrode 11 and the Y electrode 21. FIG. FIG. 12A is a plan view showing a touch sensor detection unit in which the X electrode 11 and the Y electrode 21 are overlapped. FIG. 12B is a perspective view showing the entire touch sensor including the glass cover. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input detection device according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input detection device according to a sixth embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of the input device according to the first embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 1, the input device according to the first embodiment includes an X electrode 10, a Y electrode 20, a touch sensor 30, a touch sensor driving circuit 80, an arithmetic processing unit 90, and a storage unit 100. The touch sensor drive circuit 80 includes an X electrode scanning unit 81 and a Y electrode scanning unit 82, and the arithmetic processing unit 90 includes a labeling unit 91, a separation region detection unit 92, a forced off unit 93, And a calculating means 94. The touch sensor drive circuit 80, the arithmetic processing unit 90, and the storage unit 100 constitute a touch sensor controller 110.

  The touch sensor 30 is an input detection unit that has an input surface covered with a transparent material such as glass and detects contact input when the input surface is contacted with a finger or a conductive object. The touch sensor 30 includes an X electrode 10 and a Y electrode 20 arranged in a matrix orthogonal to each other. As long as the touch sensor 30 can detect multiple points, various touch sensors may be used. For example, a projection mutual capacitive touch sensor may be used. The projected mutual capacitive touch sensor is configured with one of the X electrode 10 and the Y electrode 20 as a drive electrode and the other as a reception electrode. A driving pulse is supplied from the driving electrode, and a mutual capacitance is measured from a current that flows when a conductor such as a finger contacts the input surface to detect contact with the input surface.

  The X electrode 10 is an electrode for detecting a contact input position in the horizontal direction, and is an electrode that extends in the vertical (vertical) direction of the input surface and is arranged in parallel. The Y electrode 20 is an electrode for detecting the contact input position in the vertical direction, and is an electrode arranged in parallel to the horizontal (lateral) direction of the input surface. In FIG. 1, stripe-shaped electrodes are shown, but if the electrodes arranged in a line in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction intersect at right angles and arranged in a matrix, the X electrodes 10 and Y The shape of the electrode 20 can be configured in various shapes. For example, a configuration in which square diamonds are connected at the corners and arranged continuously in the vertical and horizontal directions may be used.

  Predetermined coordinates serving as a detection unit are set on the input surface of the touch sensor 30. The coordinates may be set at the intersection of the X electrode 10 and the Y electrode 20, or when performing detection such that the capacitance is averaged by a plurality of electrodes, the X electrode 10 and the Y electrode 20 Coordinates may be set at a position deviating from the intersection.

  The touch sensor controller 110 is a means for controlling the touch sensor 30, and includes a touch sensor driving circuit 80, an arithmetic processing unit 90, and a storage unit 100.

  The touch sensor drive circuit 80 is a circuit for driving the touch sensor 30. The touch sensor 30 supplies the drive pulses described above, scans the X electrode 10 or the Y electrode 20, and checks whether there is contact with the input surface of the touch sensor 30. Electrical control drive for detecting contact information such as a contact position is performed.

  The touch sensor driving circuit 80 includes a horizontal scanning unit 81 and a vertical scanning unit 82. The horizontal scanning unit 81 scans the electrode line in the horizontal direction along the electrode line on which the Y electrode 20 is arranged, and measures the electrostatic capacitance in the horizontal line. The vertical scanning unit 82 scans the electrode line in the vertical direction along the electrode line in which the X electrode 10 is arranged, and measures the electrostatic capacitance in the line in the vertical direction. In the case where the scanning of the electrode is performed on only one of the X electrode 10 and the Y electrode 20, only one of the horizontal scanning unit 81 and the vertical scanning unit 82 may be provided.

  The arithmetic processing means 90 is means for performing various arithmetic processes, and also performs arithmetic processing for separately detecting multipoint contact. The arithmetic processing means 90 may be configured by various means as long as necessary arithmetic processing can be performed. For example, the arithmetic processing unit 90 may be configured by an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that operates according to a program and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) that realizes a specific function.

  The arithmetic processing unit 90 includes a labeling unit 91, a separation region detection unit 92, a forced off unit 93, and a position calculation unit 94 as means for realizing specific functions. The labeling means 91 is a means for labeling each contact input when the contact input to the input surface is detected, and labeling the detected contact data. The separation area detection unit 92 uses the non-contact area between the labels as a separation area when the labeling means 91 performs a plurality of labels on the same line and the distance between the attached labels is within a predetermined interval. A means for determining and detecting the separation region. The forcible off means 93 forces the position where the separation area is translated to the next line when scanning the next line when the separation area is detected by the separation area detection means in the scan of a certain line. This is a means for performing processing that is handled as non-contact data. The position calculation means 94 is a means for calculating the contact position based on the attached label after labeling is completed.

  The arithmetic processing unit 90 uses the labeling unit 91, the separation region detection unit 92, the forced-off unit 93, and the position calculation unit 94 to separate each contact point when there is a multipoint contact input at an approaching position. Execute a separation algorithm for detection. The specific functions performed by the means 91 to 94 will be described later.

  The storage unit 100 is a unit for storing the position of the separation region detected by the separation region detection unit 92. When only scanning in one direction is performed in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction, a frame memory that stores detection data for the entire input surface is not necessarily required, but a line memory that stores detection data for at least one line is stored. Required as means 100. Moreover, you may provide the memory | storage means 100 which can memorize | store the detection data for several lines as needed. In addition, when performing bidirectional scanning in the horizontal and vertical directions, the storage unit 100 configured as a frame memory is used. The position of the separation area stored in the storage unit 100 is used by the forced-off unit 93 to set a position for forced off.

  The touch sensor controller 110 includes the above-described units, but may include other units that implement functions necessary for controlling the touch sensor 30.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the touch sensor 30. As described with reference to FIG. 1, inside the touch sensor 30, an X electrode 10 extending in parallel to the vertical direction and arranged as an electrode line, and an electrode line extending in parallel to the horizontal direction are arranged. The Y electrodes 20 are arranged orthogonally in a matrix. In FIG. 2, there are M X electrodes 10 and N Y electrodes 20, which are arranged in a matrix of M × N (M rows and N columns). A coordinate system is set corresponding to the matrix, the lower left corner is (X, Y) = (1, 1), the lower right corner is (M, 1), the upper left corner is (1, N), and the upper right corner. The corner is set to (M, N).

  In such a coordinate system, when scanning is sequentially performed from the lower Y electrode 20 toward the upper Y electrode 20 in the horizontal direction, (1, 1) → (2, 1) →. M, 1) → (1,2) →... (M-1, N), (M, N), the contact detection data is sequentially read. In this way, for each electrode line, one of the coordinate points is read and scanned one by one, and after the scanning of one line is completed, the next line is scanned, and the sequential scanning is performed. The detection data is read, and finally the detection data is read for all coordinates of all electrode lines.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the entire processing flow of the input detection method according to the first embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those described so far, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 3, in step 100, data input to the touch sensor 30 is performed. That is, data on the presence or absence of contact with the input surface is read by the scanning means 81 and 82, and detection data is input. The detection data may be binary data indicating only the presence / absence of contact, but may be displayed in the number of bits such as 6 bits or 8 bits, for example, to indicate the strength of contact.

  In step 110, a separation algorithm for separating the label attached corresponding to the touched finger is executed. Details of this separation algorithm will be described later.

  In step 120, finger image labeling is performed. Specifically, the separation algorithm is executed in step 110 to perform a process of attaching a label to the finger image that has been separated and recognized. That is, the separation algorithm is an algorithm executed for each coordinate unit of each line, but when this is finished, labeling is performed for each connected component. Thereby, one finger is recognized as one lump.

  In step 130, the finger position is calculated. In the labeling performed in step 120, the position is specified as the coordinates of the finger, and the strength of the detected signal can be recognized. Therefore, the position of the finger can be calculated by weighting by multiplying and adding both the strength of the signal and the coordinates. This facilitates subsequent processing using the finger position.

  As described above, in the input detection device according to the present embodiment, the position of the input finger is accurately detected, and appropriate operation input processing according to the movement of the finger is performed based on the detected finger position. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, a touch input by a finger will be described as an example, but it is possible to perform a touch input with a conductive object other than a finger, and therefore, an input target is particularly limited. Shall not.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a finger label separation algorithm of the input detection method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 shows a state in which two contact images 41 and 42 are detected. In this state, an example in which the finger label separation algorithm is executed by sequentially scanning each of the lines A to F in the order from the line A to the line F will be described.

  First, when the horizontal scanning means 81 scans the line A from the left to the right in FIG. 4, the contact area 43 is first detected on the line A, so the label 1 is attached to the contact area 43 at this stage. The labeling means 91 may perform the labeling. Next, when scanning further to the right, the non-contact area 44 for two coordinates is detected. The non-contact area 44 is detected as an off signal in which contact signal data is not detected. Next, when scanning is continued to the right, the contact area 45 is detected. At this stage, the label 2 is attached to the contact area 45. When the non-contact area 44 detected between the contact area 43 and the contact area 45 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined interval, the non-contact area 44 is determined as a separation area, and the finger label separation algorithm is validated. For example, this interval may be determined in units of distance, or may be determined in units of the number of coordinate points when a predetermined coordinate system is set as in this embodiment. In the first embodiment, the finger label separation algorithm is validated when the non-contact area 44 has an interval of two coordinate points or less. Then, since the space of the non-contact area 44 shown in FIG. 4 is two coordinate points, the finger separation algorithm is effectively operated. The determination and detection of whether or not the non-contact region 44 is a separation region may be performed by the separation region detection means 92. Further, the position of the separation region (non-contact region 44) is stored in the storage unit 100 as necessary.

  Next, the horizontal scanning unit 81 scans the line B from left to right. In line B, the contact area 46 is detected and label 1 is assigned by the labeling means 91, but the position of the separation area (non-contact area 44) detected in the previous line A is translated on line B. The interval for two coordinates is forcibly turned off to be a forced off region 47, which is treated as a non-contact region. In the forced-off area 47, a contact signal is actually detected, but the finger label separation algorithm treats the contact signal as not detected. Then, when the contact area 48 on the line B is scanned, the process of attaching the label 2 to the contact area 48 can be performed. Note that the process of providing the forced-off region 47 on the line B may be performed by the forced-off means 93. When the storage unit 100 of the touch sensor controller 110 has only one line memory, the forcible off unit 93 performs a process that does not rewrite the non-contact area 44 stored in the previous line A. Alternatively, the process of setting the forced off region 47 in the next line B may be performed using the position information of the separation region (non-contact region 44) of the line A stored in the storage unit 100.

  Further, when the forced off area 47 for two coordinate points is detected in the scan of the label B, the forced off area 47 is recognized as the separated area by the separation area detecting unit 92, and in the next line C scan, Processing to enable the finger label separation algorithm is performed. Further, the forced off area 47 is stored in the storage unit 100 as a separation area as necessary.

  Next, the line C is scanned by the horizontal scanning unit 81. Since the presence of the separation region (forced off region 47) is recognized in the previous line B, when scanning the line C, the position of two coordinates obtained by translating the forced off region 47 on the line C is forced. The off region 50 is treated as non-contact. In addition, since the two contact areas 49 and 51 are detected by sandwiching the forced-off area 47 by scanning the line C, the label 1 is sequentially attached to the contact area 49 and the label 2 is sequentially attached to the contact area 51. The forced off region 50 is determined as a separation region, and the finger label separation algorithm in the next line D becomes effective.

  Also in the scanning of the line D, the area obtained by translating the forced off area 50 in the previous line C is forcibly turned off to be the forced off area 53 and is treated as a non-contact area. In line D, the actual detection signal is also non-contact, but since the finger label separation algorithm is operating by scanning line C, the forced off region 53 is set as a non-contact region regardless of the actual detection signal. Be treated. Also in the line D, since the plurality of contact areas 52 and 54 are detected with the forced-off area 53 interposed therebetween, labels 1 and 2 are attached, respectively. Further, since the forced off area 53 is a non-contact area for two coordinate points, it is determined as a separation area, and the finger label separation algorithm is also effective for the next line.

Next, the line E is scanned. In the line E, a contact area 55, a non-contact area 56, and a contact area 57 are detected. Here, the non-contact area 56 includes an area corresponding to two coordinate points that are forced off by translating the forced off area 53 on the line E, but are actually detected as non-contact. Is wider than that, and the non-contact area 56 corresponding to four coordinate points is detected. In this case, since the non-contact area 56 is not less than two coordinate points less than the predetermined interval, the finger label separation algorithm in the next line is not effective and is not executed. Then, labels 1 and 2 are attached to the contact areas 55 and 57, respectively.

  In the next scan of line F, the finger label separation algorithm is not executed, and the line is scanned without a region that is forcibly turned off. If a contact area is detected, labels are sequentially attached. However, in FIG. 4, since there is no contact signal, labeling of labels 1 and 2 is completed.

  Thereafter, when all the lines are scanned and the contact point is detected based on the position of the label, labels 1 and 2 are detected independently, and the respective positions are calculated. Can be detected separately, and multipoint contact can be detected.

  As described above, according to the input detection method and the input detection device according to the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately separate and detect the input by multipoint contact.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining separation region determination in the input detection method and the input detection device according to the first embodiment.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of a multipoint contact state in which two fingers 150 and 151 are approaching and touching the touch panel 30. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the two fingers 150 and 151 are close to each other, an acute-angle V zone region 153 is formed.

  FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the V zone region 153. As shown in FIG. 5B, in the V zone region 153, an interval of one coordinate point and / or two coordinate points is formed between the fingers 150 and 151. Therefore, it is possible to determine and detect that the fingers 150 and 151 are in close proximity by detecting such an interval for one coordinate point and two coordinate points.

  FIG. 5C is a diagram showing a state in which the pressing force of contact by the finger 154 is biased and a part of the finger 154 is detected as non-contact. In such a state, the non-contact area 155 in the area of the finger 154 is often detected at intervals of three coordinate points or more as shown in FIG. This is a state different from the non-contact region by the V zone region 153 shown in FIGS. Therefore, when a non-contact area having an interval of one coordinate point and / or two coordinate points or less generated only by the formation of the V zone area 153 is detected, it is determined that there is an input due to multi-point contact, and the label is separated. If the process to perform is performed, the imbalanced contact by one finger shown in FIG. 5C can be eliminated, and an erroneous operation for determining this as a multipoint contact can be prevented. Therefore, in the first embodiment, when a plurality of contact areas 43 and 45 are detected across the non-contact area 44 having an interval of two coordinate points or less, processing for determining a multipoint contact input and separating the labels Went. Thus, by setting the length of the non-contact region 44 to an appropriate distance that can detect the occurrence of the V-zone region 153, multipoint contact approaching with high accuracy can be detected.

  In the present embodiment, the interval of 2 coordinate points or less is determined as the separation region. For example, when the unit of the detection element is very small, the interval of 3 coordinate points or less is determined as the separation region. Conversely, when the unit of the detection element is large, it is possible to perform processing such as determining an interval of one coordinate point or less as a separation region. The interval of the non-contact area 44 determined as the separation area can be appropriately set according to the application and the specification of the touch panel 30.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a one-line processing flow of the finger label separation algorithm performed by the input detection method and the input detection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those described so far, and the processing flow is performed in correspondence with the contents and components in FIG. 4 for easy understanding.

  In step 200, scanning of a line to be scanned is started by the horizontal scanning unit 81.

  In step 210, it is determined whether a contact area has been detected. When the contact area 43 is detected, the process proceeds to step 220. On the other hand, when the contact area is not detected, the processing flow is terminated, and this processing flow is repeated from the beginning for the next line to be scanned.

  In step 220, a label is attached to the detected contact area 43. Since it is the contact area 43 first detected on the line, the label 1 is usually attached. After label 1 is attached, scanning of the same line is continued.

  In step 230, it is determined whether or not a plurality of contact areas have been detected. If a plurality of contact areas 45 are detected, the process proceeds to step 240. On the other hand, when a plurality of contact areas are not detected, the process proceeds to step 280, where it is determined whether or not scanning for one line is completed. When all the scans for one line have been completed, the processing flow is terminated, and this processing flow is repeated from the beginning for the next line. On the other hand, if the scanning for one line has not been completed, the process returns to step 230 to continue scanning.

  In step 240, the plurality of contact areas 45 are labeled. The labels are sequentially attached according to the detected order. Usually, label 2 is attached when detected second, and label 3 is attached when detected third.

  Steps 200 to 240 are called labeling steps.

  In step 250, whether or not the interval (distance) of the non-contact region 44 between the contact region 45 detected in step 240 and the contact region 43 detected immediately before is within a predetermined interval. Determined. For example, when the predetermined interval is determined to be two coordinate points or less, it is determined whether or not the length of the non-contact area 44 is within two coordinate points.

  In step 250, when the distance of the non-contact area 44 between the contact areas 43 and 45 is within a predetermined interval, the process proceeds to step 260. On the other hand, if it is longer than the predetermined interval, the routine proceeds to step 280, where it is determined whether or not the scanning of one line has been completed. If it is determined that the scanning of one line has not been completed yet, the process returns to step 230 and the scanning is continued.

  In step 260, it is determined that the non-contact area 44 is a separation area, and the operation of the finger label separation algorithm for the next line is validated. Thereby, a separation region for separating a plurality of labels is detected, and the finger label separation algorithm is operated in the next line scan. Note that step 250 and step 260 are referred to as a separation region detection step.

  In step 270, processing necessary for forcibly turning off the region obtained by translating the separation region to the next line is performed. For example, a process of storing the position of the separation area in the storage unit 100 or a process of keeping the area corresponding to the separation area off and not rewriting at the time of the next line scan may be performed. Step 270 may be referred to as a forced off step.

  In step 280, it is determined whether or not scanning for one line has been completed. If it is determined that the scanning of one line has not been completed, the process returns to step 230 and the scanning is continued. On the other hand, when it is determined that all the scans for one line have been completed, this processing flow ends. Then, this processing flow is executed for the next line. At that time, if the next line forced off step of step 270 is executed, the area obtained by translating the separation area to the next line is treated as a non-contact area, and this processing flow is continuously executed. become. Note that the step of performing a forced-off process at the time of scanning the next line together with step 270 or instead of step 270 may be referred to as a forced-off step.

  Finally, this processing flow is executed for all the lines of the touch sensor 30, and when labeling is completed, the position where contact input is performed is calculated according to the processing flow described with reference to FIG.

  As described above, according to the input detection method and the input detection apparatus according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform multipoint contact input separation in real time without performing complicated arithmetic processing such as image processing.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an input detection result by a conventional input detection method and input detection device as a comparative example. FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a case where two fingers are detected as a V-zone having an interval of one coordinate, and FIG. 7B is a diagram of two fingers having an interval of two coordinates. It is the figure which showed the case where it detected as V zone.

  In FIG. 7A, there are two lines having an interval of one coordinate point between two fingers, but if each line is scanned and detected as it is, there is a portion connected to the center. Moreover, it is recognized as one large lump contact image 161, and only one label is attached. And the center part of the contact image 161 which should be the space | interval originally will be calculated as a position coordinate of a contact point.

  In FIG. 7 (B), there are two lines having a distance of two coordinate points between two fingers. However, since the central portion is detected as a contact area, the contact image of one large lump is also obtained. 162. Then, the central portion of the contact image 162 that is originally the position of the interval is calculated as the position coordinates of the contact point.

  Such erroneous detection cannot accurately recognize the operation of pinch-in, pinch-out, slide, or the like using two fingers, and causes a malfunction.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an input detection result obtained by the input detection method and the input detection device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a case where two fingers are detected as a V-zone having an interval of one coordinate, and FIG. 8B is a diagram showing two fingers having an interval of two coordinates. It is the figure which showed the case where it detected as V zone.

  8A, the state of the finger contact and detection data is the same as in FIG. 7A, but label 1 is attached to contact image 61, label 2 is attached to contact image 62, and label 1 And label 2 are separated and detected. Then, the center position of the contact image 61 and the center position of the contact image 62 are calculated as the position coordinates of the contact images 61 and 62, respectively. In FIG. 8A, a non-contact area 64 of one coordinate point is detected between the plurality of contact areas 63 and 65 in the lowermost line, whereby the finger label separation algorithm operates, and the contact image 61 The label 1 is attached to the contact image 62, and the label 2 is attached to the contact image 62, so that contact with two fingers can be detected separately.

  In FIG. 8B, the state of the finger contact and detection data is the same as in FIG. 7B, but the label 1 is displayed on the contact image 41 and the label 2 is displayed on the contact image 42 as in FIG. 8A. A plurality of contact points are detected separately, and their coordinates are also set to the center positions of the contact images 41 and 42, and correct position detection is performed. Note that FIG. 8B is the same as FIG. 4, and thus the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 are given, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, in the conventional input detection method and input detection device, the detection of the input by the close multipoint contact becomes one lump on the data, so that it is difficult to accurately separate and detect the input. However, according to the input detection method and the input detection device according to the first embodiment, the presence of the V zone region 153 is detected, and the finger label separation algorithm is executed to appropriately detect multipoint contact. Can do. Further, it is possible to detect an input by multipoint contact in real time with a simple configuration without performing image processing that requires complicated arithmetic processing, and it is possible to meet demands for downsizing, low cost, and the like.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the input detection method and the input detection device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the input detection method and detection apparatus according to the first embodiment, fingers are input side by side in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction) on the input surface of the touch sensor 30, and a predetermined interval or less between the plurality of contact regions 43 and 45. The example in which the data pattern in which the non-contact point area 44 exists is included in the horizontal line has been described. In the input method and the input detection device according to the second embodiment, a detection example in the case where fingers are input in the vertical direction (vertical direction) on the input surface of the touch sensor 30 will be described. In the second embodiment as well, an example will be described in which an algorithm for determining a separation point is employed when the non-contact area has an interval of two coordinate points or less. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 9 shows a state where the contact images 71 and 72 of two fingers are detected side by side in the vertical direction. In such a state, even if scanning is performed in the horizontal direction, a signal pattern in which a non-contact area is sandwiched between a plurality of contact areas is not detected, and multipoint contact cannot be detected. In such a state, a multipoint contact may be detected by scanning in the vertical direction instead of the horizontal direction. FIG. 9 shows a state in which each line is scanned from bottom to top, from the left line to the right line.

  In line A, the vertical line is scanned from the bottom to the top. At this time, the contact area 73 is detected and the label 1 is attached. After the non-contact area 74 is detected, the contact area 75 is detected and the label 2 is attached. However, since the non-contact area 74 is an interval of four coordinate points, the finger label separation algorithm is not effective and does not operate.

  The vertical scanning may be performed by the vertical scanning unit 82, and the labeling may be performed by the labeling unit 91. Further, the determination of whether or not the non-contact region 74 is a separation region may be performed by the separation region detection means 92.

  In line B, a plurality of contact areas 76 and 78 are detected by sandwiching a non-contact area 77 having an interval of two coordinate points by scanning by the vertical scanning means 82. Labels 1 and 2 are sequentially attached to the plurality of contact areas 76 and 78 by the labeling means 91. Further, since the non-contact area 77 has two coordinate points or less, the separation area detection unit 92 determines that the non-contact area 77 is a separation area and validates the finger label separation algorithm. Note that the position coordinates of the separation region (non-contact region 77) are stored in the storage unit 100 as necessary.

  In line C, the position where the position determined and detected as the separation region in the previous line B is translated on line C is forcibly turned off, and line C is scanned. As a result, the separation region due to forced off is detected also on line C, and the operation performed on line B is repeated.

  In line D, the same operation as in line C is performed. Since the signal pattern of line D is the same as that of line C, the finger label separation algorithm is applied to the next line E.

  In line E, the forced off region and the actual non-contact region coincide with each other, but the line E is scanned by the forced off. The finger label separation algorithm is also valid for the next line F.

  In line F, since the entire line including the forced off area is a non-contact area, the finger label separation algorithm is not effective in the next line. When all the lines are scanned in the vertical direction, labels 1 and 2 are detected separately, and multipoint contact in the vertical direction can also be detected separately.

  Thus, even when fingers are arranged in the vertical direction and a multipoint contact is input, the multipoint contact can be separated and accurately detected by setting the scanning direction to the vertical direction.

  In addition, when it is assumed that the input operation is an operation only in the vertical direction although it is based on multipoint contact, the input detection method and the input detection device may be configured to scan only in the vertical direction. On the other hand, in the case where the input operation by multipoint contact may be horizontal or vertical, for example, the finger label separation algorithm described in the first embodiment is performed by first performing a horizontal scan. And then performing a vertical scan to execute the finger label separation algorithm described in the second embodiment. As a result, when a separation area sandwiched between a plurality of contact areas is detected in either a horizontal line or a vertical line, the finger label separation algorithm operates, so that multiple lines are arranged in various directions. The position of point contact can be detected. Needless to say, the scan order in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction may be either.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the input detection method and the input detection device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the example in which the scanning is performed in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and the multipoint contact is detected has been described. In the third embodiment, the scanning is performed in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and the horizontal direction is determined. For each of these lines, two patterns of scanning are performed: scanning in the order from the lower end line to the upper end line, and scanning in the order from the upper end line to the lower end line. Similarly, also in the vertical direction, two patterns are scanned: a pattern that sequentially scans from the left end line to the right end line, and a pattern that sequentially scans from the right end line to the left end line.

  In FIG. 10, first, the horizontal lines are sequentially scanned from the lower end line to the upper end line. After all the horizontal lines are scanned, similarly, the horizontal lines are sequentially scanned from the upper end line toward the lower end line. The horizontal scanning direction may be unified from left to right. The horizontal line is scanned twice from the lower end and the upper end, and then the vertical line is sequentially scanned from the left end line to the right end line. After scanning the right end line and all the lines in the vertical direction, scanning is started sequentially from the right end line toward the left end line. At this time, the scanning direction of each vertical line may be unified from bottom to top. When the leftmost line has been scanned, all four scans are finished, and the position of each contact point is calculated from the label.

  As described above, by scanning in four directions and repeatedly performing scanning from different directions, multipoint contact can be reliably detected. Note that the scan order can be set in various ways depending on the application. Further, the input device according to the third embodiment can have the same configuration as that of the input device shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, and the horizontal scanning unit 81 and the vertical scanning unit 82 perform horizontal scanning in different scanning orders. What is necessary is just to equip with the function to scan a line and a vertical line.

  According to the position detection method and the position detection apparatus according to the third embodiment, the position of the multipoint contact point can be reliably detected by scanning a plurality of times from different directions.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the input detection device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the first to fourth embodiments, the example in which the input detection device is configured using the striped X electrode 10 and the Y electrode 20 has been described. However, in the fourth embodiment, the input device is configured using electrodes having different shapes. An example of the configuration will be described.

  FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the Y electrode 21. As shown in FIG. 11A, the input detection device according to the fourth embodiment includes a Y electrode 21 in which square patterns are arranged in rows in the horizontal direction. The square patterns are connected as if they were skewered in the horizontal direction, and the overall arrangement has an electrode line in which a plurality of Y electrodes 21 are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction. That is, as a whole, the arrangement pattern is the same as that of the Y electrode 20 of FIG.

  FIG. 11B is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the X electrode 11. As shown in FIG. 11B, the input detection device according to the fourth embodiment includes X electrodes 11 in which square patterns are arranged in rows in the vertical direction. The square patterns are connected as if they were skewered in the vertical direction, and the overall arrangement has an electrode line in which a plurality of X electrodes 11 are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. As a whole, the X electrode 11 also has the same arrangement pattern as the X electrode 10 of FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state in which the X electrode 11 and the Y electrode 21 are overlapped. FIG. 12A is a plan view showing the touch sensor electrode portion 31 in which the X electrode 11 and the Y electrode 21 are overlapped. FIG. 12B shows the entire touch sensor 33 including the glass cover 32. It is the shown perspective view.

  In FIG. 12A, the X electrode 11 and the Y electrode 21 are arranged so that the square electrode patterns do not overlap each other. The X electrode 11 and the Y electrode 21 are arranged in a matrix, and a touch sensor electrode unit 31 having electrode lines in the X direction and the Y direction is configured. For example, the touch sensor electrode unit 31 may be configured with such an electrode arrangement.

  FIG. 12B shows an example in which a glass cover 32 is placed on the X electrode 11 and the Y electrode 21. In this way, the touch sensor 33 is configured by covering the touch sensor electrode portion 31 inside with the glass cover 32.

  For example, the input detection device may be configured using the touch panel electrode unit 31 having such a configuration and the touch sensor controller 110 illustrated in FIG. 1. By applying the input detection method shown in the first to third embodiments, multipoint contact can be detected appropriately.

  Thus, the electrode configuration of the touch sensors 30 and 33 can be various configurations depending on the application.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the input detection device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The input detection device according to the fifth embodiment configures the input detection device as an in-cell touch panel. The input detection device according to the fifth embodiment includes a touch sensor 34, a color filter glass 120, an array glass 130, a touch sensor controller 110, and a liquid crystal drive circuit 140.

  The input detection device according to the fifth embodiment has a configuration in which a touch sensor module is incorporated in a liquid crystal display module. In FIG. 13, the touch sensor 34 and the touch sensor controller 110 constitute a touch sensor module, and the color filter glass 120, the array glass 130, and the liquid crystal drive circuit 140 constitute a liquid crystal display module.

  The touch sensor 34 is disposed between the color filter glass 120 and the array glass 130, and the touch sensor module is incorporated in the liquid crystal display module.

  The input detection device according to the present embodiment may be configured as such an in-cell touch panel. As the touch sensor 34, touch sensors having various electrode configurations including the touch sensor 30 described in the first embodiment and the touch sensor 33 described in the fourth embodiment can be used.

  As the touch sensor controller 110, the touch sensor controller 110 equipped with the finger label separation algorithm described in the first to fourth embodiments is used.

  According to the input detection device according to the fifth embodiment, the entire input detection device can be thinned, multi-point contact can be detected with high accuracy, and a touch panel capable of multi-point contact input with few malfunctions can be configured. it can.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the input detection device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. The input detection device according to the sixth embodiment is configured as a touch panel in which a touch sensor module and a liquid crystal display module are provided independently.

  The input detection device according to the sixth embodiment includes a touch sensor 35, a sensor glass 36, a touch sensor controller 110, a color filter glass 120, an array glass 130, and a liquid crystal driving circuit 140. The touch sensor 35, the sensor glass 36, and the touch sensor controller 110 constitute a touch sensor module, and the color filter glass 120, the array glass 130, and the liquid crystal drive circuit 140 constitute a liquid crystal display module.

  As the touch sensor 35, touch sensors having various electrode configurations can be used, including the touch sensor 30 described in the first embodiment and the touch sensor 33 described in the fourth embodiment.

  As the touch sensor controller 110, a controller equipped with the finger label separation algorithm described in the first to third embodiments is used. Thereby, a multipoint contact input can be detected with high accuracy and a simple configuration.

  According to the input device according to the sixth embodiment, the overall thickness of the input detection device is slightly increased, but multipoint contact input can be reliably detected without being affected by static electricity from the liquid crystal display.

  As a modification of the input detection device according to the sixth embodiment, an on-cell configuration in which the sensor glass 36 is removed and the touch sensor 35 is directly installed on the color filter glass 120 in FIG. Even in such an on-cell touch panel, multipoint contact input can be detected with high accuracy by using the touch sensor controller 110 equipped with the finger label separation algorithm described in the first to third embodiments.

  As described above, the finger label separation algorithm described in the first to third embodiments can be applied to various types of input detection devices.

  In the first to sixth embodiments, the example in which the finger label separation algorithm is mounted in the touch sensor controller 110 has been described. However, an input detection program capable of executing the function of the finger label separation algorithm by a computer, or the input detection program thereof May be configured as a recording medium recorded in a computer-readable manner.

  In addition, the description has been made based on the projected mutual capacitance method having the matrix-shaped electrodes, but the independent button type projected self-capacitance method arranged in a matrix shape has a sufficiently small button size and high definition. The present invention is applicable.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

The present invention can be used for all input devices that perform input operations by touching a touch sensor, a touch panel, or the like.

10, 11 X electrode 20, 21 Y electrode 30, 33, 34, 35 Touch sensor 31 Touch sensor electrode part 32 Glass cover 41, 42, 61, 62, 71, 72 Touch image 43, 45, 46, 48, 49, 51, 52, 54, 55, 57, 63, 65, 73, 75, 76, 78 Contact area 44, 47, 50, 53, 56, 64, 74, 77, 155 Non-contact area 80 Touch sensor drive circuit 81 Horizontal Scanning means 82 Vertical scanning means 90 Arithmetic processing means 91 Labeling means 92 Separation area detecting means 93 Forced off means 94 Position calculating means 100 Storage means 110 Touch sensor controller 120 Color filter glass 130 Array glass 140 Liquid crystal driving circuit 150, 151, 154 Finger 153 V zone area

Claims (16)

A touch sensor that has electrodes arranged in a matrix and scans the electrode lines on which the electrodes are arranged in order to detect contact is used to separate each contact point when there is an input due to multipoint contact. An input detection method for detecting
A labeling step of scanning the first electrode line and sequentially labeling the plurality of contact areas when a plurality of contact areas are detected across the non-contact area in the scanning direction;
When the non-contact area between the labels is within a predetermined interval, a separation area detection step for determining the position of the non-contact area as a separation area;
The separation region on the first electrode line on the second electrode line when scanning a second electrode line that is a scan line next to the first electrode line in which the separation region is detected A forced off step forcibly turning off the detection signal of the area corresponding to, and treating it as a non-contact area,
An input detection method comprising: a contact point detection step in which the labeling step, the separation region detection step, and the forced off step are sequentially performed on each electrode line to detect the label as a contact point.   The input detection method according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined coordinate system is set for the touch sensor, and the predetermined interval is a distance corresponding to one or two coordinate points.   The input detection method according to claim 1, wherein the electrodes are sequentially scanned in at least one direction of a matrix arrangement.   The input detection method according to claim 1, wherein the electrodes are sequentially scanned in both directions of a matrix arrangement.   The input detection method according to claim 4, wherein the electrodes are scanned in another direction after all of one direction of the matrix arrangement is scanned.   For the horizontal scan, both the scan in the order from the lower electrode line to the upper electrode line and the scan in the order from the upper electrode line to the lower electrode line are performed. 6. The scan according to claim 5, wherein both scanning in the order from the leftmost electrode line to the rightmost electrode line and scanning in the order from the rightmost electrode line to the leftmost electrode line are performed. Input detection method. A touch sensor that has electrodes arranged in a matrix and scans the electrode lines on which the electrodes are arranged in order to detect contact is used to separate each contact point when there is an input due to multipoint contact. An input detection device for detecting
Scanning means for scanning the first electrode line so as to detect a contact area and a non-contact area on the first electrode line;
Labeling means for sequentially labeling the plurality of contact areas when a plurality of contact areas in the scanning direction are detected by the scanning means across the non-contact areas;
When the non-contact area is within a predetermined interval, a separation area detection unit that determines the position of the non-contact area as a separation area;
When the scanning means scans a second electrode line that is a scan line next to the first electrode line in which the separation region is detected, the first electrode line on the second electrode line is scanned. A forced off means for forcibly turning off the detection signal of the region corresponding to the separation region, and performing processing to handle as a non-contact region,
An input detection apparatus comprising: position calculating means for attaching each label to each contact point by causing the scanning means to sequentially scan each electrode line and calculating the position of each contact point from the label. .   The input detection device according to claim 7, wherein a predetermined coordinate system is set for the touch sensor, and the predetermined interval is a distance corresponding to one or two coordinate points.   The input detection device according to claim 7, wherein the scanning unit sequentially scans the electrode lines in at least one direction of the matrix arrangement.   The input detection apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the scanning unit sequentially scans the bidirectional electrode lines arranged in a matrix.   11. The input detection apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the scanning unit scans all the electrode lines in one direction in a matrix arrangement and then scans the electrode lines in another direction.   For the horizontal electrode lines, the scanning means starts scanning from the lower electrode line and ends scanning at the upper electrode line, and starts scanning from the upper electrode line and starts scanning from the lower electrode line. Scans in the order of ending the scan at the line, and for the vertical electrode line, the scan in the order of starting from the leftmost electrode line and ending the scan at the rightmost electrode line, and the rightmost electrode line The input detection apparatus according to claim 11, wherein both of the scans in the order in which scanning is started and scanning is terminated at the leftmost electrode line are performed. A touch sensor module;
The input detection device according to claim 7, further comprising a drive circuit for the touch sensor module.   The input detection apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a liquid crystal display device arranged to overlap the touch sensor and displaying an input screen of the touch sensor.   The computer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an input by multi-point contact is input to a touch sensor that includes electrodes arranged in a matrix and scans the electrodes in a line to detect contact. A computer-readable medium storing an input detection program for executing the input detection method according to any one of the preceding claims.   The computer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an input by multi-point contact is input to a touch sensor that includes electrodes arranged in a matrix and scans the electrodes in a line to detect contact. An input detection program for executing the input detection method according to claim 1.

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