JP2012248235A - Information processing apparatus and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing apparatus capable of being intuitively operated using the pressure of a press on a touch screen.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises a touch screen for detecting a touch input, acquires the respective pressures of plural pressed points corresponding to plural touch inputs simultaneously existing on the touch screen, and generates an operation instruction based on the respective acquired pressures of the plural pressed points.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that provides a user interface using a touch screen and a control method thereof.

  In recent years, attention has been focused on an interface for operating an object on a screen by a hand gesture on the touch screen. The input on the touch screen can be operated more intuitively than an interface using an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard. Also, with recent advances in contact detection devices, it has become possible to recognize complex gestures that allow intuitive operation on a touch screen.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a method of detecting a complex trajectory of two or more designated positions that move at the same time and operating an object displayed on a touch screen in accordance with each detected trajectory.

JP 2001-290585 A

  Patent Document 1 describes a method of operating an object on a screen in accordance with a pressure for pressing a touch screen. According to Patent Document 1, as the pressure increases, the page turning operation amount and the amount of change in enlargement / reduction are increased, and when the pressure exceeds a certain level, these operation amounts are maximized, and the pressure is constant. It is described that these operations are repeated in such a case.

  However, Patent Document 1 does not describe an operation instruction corresponding to a pressure difference between a plurality of presses although it is an operation by a plurality of presses on the touch screen.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus that can be operated intuitively by using pressure pressing on a touch screen.

An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems includes the following configuration. That is,
An information processing apparatus including a touch screen that detects touch input,
Obtaining means for obtaining pressures of a plurality of pressing points corresponding to a plurality of touch inputs simultaneously existing on the touch screen;
Generating means for generating an operation instruction based on the pressure of each of the acquired plurality of pressing points.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the information processing apparatus which can be operated intuitively using the pressure which presses on a touch screen can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the information processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure showing the structural example of the touch screen which the input device which concerns on embodiment has. It is a figure which shows the data recording example of the table which memorize | stores the pressure of the press point of the system which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of input operation to the input device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data recording example of the table which memorize | stores the locus | trajectory of the input position in the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the data recording example of the table which memorize | stores the locus | trajectory of the input pressure in the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of object alignment operation by the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the object alignment operation by the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other example of object alignment operation by the information processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the object alignment operation which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the object alignment operation by the information processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other example of object alignment operation by the information processing apparatus which concerns on the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other example of object alignment operation which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a hardware configuration example of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, a microprocessor (CPU) 11 controls each component of the information processing apparatus 100 and performs various calculations and logic determinations. The fixed memory (ROM) 12 is a read-only memory that stores control program codes such as processing programs executed by the CPU 11. A random access memory (RAM) 13 is a writable memory used for temporary storage of various data sent from each component. The storage device 14 includes various disk devices such as a hard disk, flash memory, and the like, and stores data being processed, image files, metadata, and the like. The input device 15 includes a touch screen that performs operation input by touching the screen. The communication device 16 includes an external input / output device such as a USB and a wired or wireless communication device such as a modem, and exchanges data with the external device. The above-described configurations are connected to each other via an address bus AB, a control bus CB, and a data bus DB.

  The address bus AB is a bus for transferring an address signal for designating a component to be controlled by the CPU 11. The control bus CB is a bus for transferring a control signal applied from the CPU 11 to each component to be controlled by the CPU 11. The data bus DB is a bus for transferring data between the components.

  The information processing apparatus 100 operates in response to various inputs from the input device 15 and various inputs via the network supplied from the communication device 16. When an input from the input device 15 or an input from the communication device 16 is supplied, an interrupt signal is sent to the CPU 11. The CPU 11 reads out various control signals stored in the storage device 14 in accordance with the interrupt signal, and executes various controls in accordance with those control signals.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the touch screen 200 included in the input device 15 in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. The touch screen 200 includes a touch input unit 201 that inputs an operation from an operator (operator) and a display unit 202 that displays an image. Further, the touch screen includes a pressing position detection unit 203 that detects positions (coordinates) of a plurality of pressing points corresponding to a plurality of touch inputs on the screen, and a pressing pressure detection that detects the pressure of each of the plurality of pressing points. Part 204 is provided. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the screen is pressed simultaneously with the fingers of the left and right hands.

  In the touch screen 200, the X-axis is taken from the lower left to the right of the screen, and the Y-axis is taken upward, and the coordinate positions and pressing strengths of a plurality of points pressed on the screen are detected. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the coordinates pressed by the finger of the left hand at a certain time t are detected as At (x, y) and the coordinates pressed by the finger of the right hand are detected as Bt (x, y). In addition, shadows that increase in area as pressure increases are displayed at the pressing points of the left and right fingers, and the user can recognize the magnitude (difference) of the pressure at each pressing point. That is, the touch screen 200 according to the present embodiment displays the pressure points by changing the display form according to the pressure so that the user can recognize the pressures (or pressure differences) of the detected pressure points.

  FIG. 3 is a data table showing the contact pressure at each pressing position detected by the touch screen 200 at the time of pressing shown in FIG. The CPU 11 records the pressures at a plurality of pressing points at a certain time t detected by the touch screen 200 (the pressing position detecting unit 203 and the pressing pressure detecting unit 204) in the RAM 13 like the table 300, for example.

  4, 5, and 6 are diagrams illustrating a process of tracking a locus when a pressing point on the touch screen is slid.

  FIG. 4 shows that the pressing points at the positions At1 and Bt1 at time t1 have been slid on the screen at time t5 to At5 and Bt5, respectively, after time t2, t3 and t4. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 11 detects the position coordinates of each point detected by the pressed position detection unit 203 (the trajectory of each of the points A and B with respect to the reference times t1, t2, t3, t4, and t5). The position coordinates of each point) are recorded in the RAM 13, for example. At the same time, the CPU 11 records the pressure at each point in each position coordinate detected by the pressing pressure detection unit 204 in, for example, the RAM 13 as shown in FIG.

  In this way, the trajectory from when the operator touches the screen with a plurality of fingers until it is released is recorded. In the present embodiment, the operation of the object on the screen is interpreted and executed according to the position of the pressing force on the touch screen and the trajectory of the pressure thus obtained. Below, the process which interprets operation which should be performed from the position and locus | trajectory of a pressure in the acquired two or more pressing force is demonstrated concretely.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the present embodiment. The processing shown in FIG. 7 is realized by the CPU 11 executing a program stored in the ROM 12 or a program loaded in the RAM 13.

  In step S <b> 701, the CPU 11 determines whether a press input is detected by the touch screen 200. If no pressing input is detected, the process waits until it is detected. If a press input is detected, in step S702, the CPU 11 determines whether an end operation has been performed. In the present embodiment, it is determined that the end operation has been performed when the press on the touch input unit 201 of the touch screen 200 is released. When it is determined that the ending operation has been performed, the CPU 11 ends this process.

  If it is determined in step S702 that the end operation has not been performed, the process proceeds to step S703. In step S <b> 703, the CPU 11 interprets which operation the input on the touch screen 200 indicates based on the pressed position and the pressed pressure detected on the touch screen 200. In step S704, the CPU 11 executes the operation interpreted in step S703. As described above, when the end operation is not performed, the process waits until the next input, and when the input is detected, the process of interpreting and executing the input is repeated.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of processing for aligning objects on the screen based on the locus of the positions of the two pressing forces and the locus of pressure.

  At time t1, as shown in FIG. 8A, an object set 801 is displayed on the touch screen 200, and this object set 801 is selected by a predetermined operation on the touch screen 200 (steps described later). S901). Then, it is assumed that two points (At1 and Bt1) on the object set 801 are pressed as shown in FIG. FIG. 8B shows a state in which the two pressed points A and B are slid away from each other in this direction until time tn, and the point A is moved to the coordinate Atn and the point B is moved to the coordinate Btn. .

  By such an operation on the screen, each object in the object set 801 is arranged between the point A and the point B as an object row 802. Further, based on the pressure difference between the point A and the point B, the objects in the direction of the point B having a smaller pressure are aligned so as to be displayed on the front surface. For this reason, the object is displayed so as to sink downward (back of the screen) as the finger is strongly pressed, and an intuitive operating environment can be provided to the user.

  The processing of the CPU 11 that realizes the above-described alignment operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart corresponding to the input interpretation process in step S703 and the operation execution process in step S704 of FIG.

  In step S <b> 901, the CPU 11 selects a plurality of objects displayed on the screen by a predetermined operation input on the touch screen 200. For example, an object inside the circle is set in a selected state by a gesture called a loop in which the periphery of the object set to be selected is circled with fingers. Of course, the selection method is not limited to this operation. For example, by designating one object, a group of objects including the designated object and having at least one overlapping portion may be selected. Thus, in step S <b> 901, a plurality of objects are selected from the objects displayed on the touch screen 200 according to the touch input to the touch screen 200.

  In step S902, the CPU 11 determines whether or not two pressing forces are simultaneously detected (exist) on the touch screen 200 (the pressing timing may not be the same). If detected, the process proceeds to the next step S903. If such a pressing force is not detected even after a predetermined time has elapsed, or if a pressing force intended for another operation is detected, this operation is terminated. As a pressing force intended for another operation, there is a case where only one point of pressing exists and it starts to move.

  In step S903, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the two pressing forces detected in step S902 are pressing the object set selected in step S901 at the same time. The CPU 11 compares the position coordinates of the object set (the range in which the object set exists) with the position coordinates of the pressing force, and determines whether or not there is an overlap between them. If there are two points of pressing force on the selected object set, such as At1 and Bt1 in FIG. 8, the process proceeds to the next step S904. Otherwise, it is determined that the operation is another operation, and this operation is terminated.

  In step S904, the CPU 11 interprets that the operator's operation to be performed from now is an operation of aligning the selected objects because the two pressing forces are simultaneously on the selected object based on the determination in step S903.

  In step S905, the CPU 11 detects whether or not the relative distance between the two pressing forces changes. If the relative distance between the two pressing forces does not change, no operation is performed. If a change in relative distance is detected, the process moves to the next step S906.

  In step S906, the CPU 11 aligns the objects between the two pressed points after movement based on the alignment instruction interpreted in step S904. That is, as shown in the object row 802 in FIG. 8B, the CPU 11 instructs that the coordinates Atn and Btn of the two points after the movement are both ends and that the center of gravity of the object is equally spaced. The objects in the object set 801 are aligned. In this embodiment, the relative movement direction of the pressing points is a straight line, and the objects are arranged on a straight line having Atn and Btn at both ends. However, the alignment method is not limited to this. For example, by sliding two pressing points in an arc shape, the objects may be aligned on the arc as if playing cards were opened. In this case, a circle that fits this is calculated from the trajectory of the arc-shaped pressing point, and the object is placed on an arc having the coordinates Atn and Btn in the calculated circle as both ends. As described above, when two pressed points detected in the display range of the plurality of objects selected in step S901 move, the selected points are displayed on a straight line or a curve connecting the two pressed points after movement. A plurality of objects are arranged at equal intervals.

  In step S907, the CPU 11 determines whether or not an overlap is detected in the aligned adjacent objects. If the distance between Atn and Btn is small, adjacent objects are aligned and aligned as shown in the object row 802 in FIG. If an overlap is detected, the process proceeds to step S908. If not detected, this operation ends.

  In step S908, the pressure difference between the two pressing forces is calculated. The pressure difference between the two points is compared, for example, by taking the average of the locus of the pressing force in FIG. 5 for each of the two points. In FIG. 5, the pressing force at each point is constant over time, the average pressing force at point A is 150, the average pressing force at point B is 100, and the pressing force at point A is the pressing force at point B. Greater than 50. However, the pressure to be compared here is not limited to the average of the trajectories. The pressures at the start time t1 or the pressures at the end t5 may be compared.

  In step S909, the CPU 11 aligns and aligns the overlapping directions so that the object on the side where the pressure calculated in step S908 is smaller is displayed in front. The object row 802 in FIG. 8B shows a case where the pressing force at the point B out of the pressing forces at the point A and the point B is small. That is, the object row 802 is aligned so that the image on the Btn side with a smaller pressing force is displayed on the front side with respect to the image on the aligned point Atn side.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when a plurality of objects arranged randomly on the touch screen 200 are selected, the plurality of objects are placed on a straight line or a curve connecting the two pressed points after movement. Arranged so as to line up according to a predetermined sorting standard. Here, the anteroposterior relationship of the overlapping of the plurality of objects arranged between the two pressing points is changed based on the detected pressure difference between the plurality of pressing points. That is, the overlapping direction of the plurality of objects is determined according to the direction of the pressure difference between the two pressing points. More specifically, the overlapping of the objects is changed so that the objects are displayed on the front from the pressing point with a high pressure toward the pressing point with a low pressure, and an intuitive operation is possible. Examples of sort criteria include object file name order, object time stamp order, and the like.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operation on an aligned object, whereas FIG. 8 is an example of aligning an unaligned object. That is, when an object row in which a plurality of objects are arranged is selected, the plurality of objects are arranged on the straight line or curve connecting the two pressed points after movement while maintaining the arrangement order in the object row. The In the following, a case where an object sequence in which objects are arranged without overlapping is operated will be described. However, it is obvious that the same processing can be performed on an object sequence in which a plurality of objects are partially overlapped. is there.

  At time t1, as shown in FIG. 10A, an object row 1001 in which objects are regularly arranged without overlapping each other is displayed. Note that the object column 1001 to be operated is selected by the processing in step S901 described above.

  If it is determined in step S903 that the two pressed points are on the aligned object, an object on the trajectory connecting the two pressed points with a straight line is selected. That is, as shown in FIG. 10A, together with the object selected at the pressing points At1 and Bt1, two objects on the straight line connecting At1 and Bt1 are also selected as objects belonging to the object column 1001. . Note that “the pressed point is on the aligned object” refers to a pressed point detected in the range of any one or more of the selected aligned objects.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, it is assumed that the point A is slid from the coordinates At1 to Atn and the point B is slid from the coordinates Bt1 to Btn from time t1 to tn. Then, in step S906 in FIG. 9, the CPU 11 aligns the selected objects between Atn and Btn. Here, when the distance between Atn and Btn falls below a certain value, the CPU 11 detects the overlapping of objects (step S907 in FIG. 9). Then, the CPU 11 aligns and displays the objects so that the object on the side where the pressure is smaller becomes the front surface (step S909).

  10 shows a case where the pressing force at point B is larger than the pressing force at point A, contrary to FIG. Therefore, by the processing in step S909, as shown in the object column 1002, the objects closer to Atn are arranged to be displayed on the front.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, by introducing an alignment method based on a pressure difference between a plurality of pressing forces, the conventional objects are aligned in two steps, and then the superposition direction is changed. There is an effect that the operation can be executed in one step.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of object operation according to the second embodiment.

  It is assumed that a plurality of objects are arranged in a sector shape with overlapping as shown in the object row 1101 at time t1. Further, in the object column 1101, it is assumed that the objects are regularly arranged so as to come to the front toward the right side. At the time t1, the points At1 and Bt1 on the aligned objects are pressed at the same time, and the pressing pressure of the points A and B is point A <point B. In this case, the CPU 11 interprets the pressing operation as an instruction to change the overlapping direction of the aligned objects. Then, as shown in the object row 1102 in FIG. 11B, the overlapping of the objects in the object row is changed so that the object is displayed on the front surface toward the pressing point where the pressing pressure is small.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the alignment operation processing according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 corresponds to step S703 (input interpretation processing) and step S704 (operation execution processing) in FIG.

  In step S <b> 1201, the CPU 11 determines whether or not two pressing forces are simultaneously detected on the touch screen 200. If detected, the process proceeds to step S1202. If such a pressing force is not detected even after a predetermined time has elapsed, or if a pressing force intended for another operation is detected, this operation is terminated. As a pressing force intended for another operation, there is a case where only one point of pressing exists and it starts to move.

  In step S1202, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the two pressing forces detected in step S1201 are on the same aligned object. If it is determined that the objects are on the same aligned object, the process advances to step S1203. Otherwise, the process is terminated. In “determining whether or not the two pressing forces detected in step S1201 are on the same aligned object”, whether or not they are on the same aligned object is determined as follows, for example. (1) An alignment object is selected by a loop operation (however, step S1203 is unnecessary in this case). (2) Since the alignment operation of FIG. 9 is always performed on the alignment object, information (for example, group ID) that a plurality of objects belong to the same alignment object is stored in the RAM at the time of the alignment operation. In the case of a single object, when the single object under each of the two pressing forces has the same group ID, it is determined that the operation is for the entire corresponding aligned object.

  In step S1203, the CPU 11 selects all objects included in the aligned objects. For example, when the positions At1 and Bt1 of the objects at both ends of the aligned objects arranged in a sector shape as shown in FIG. 11 are pressed at the same time, all the objects constituting the aligned objects (object row 1101) are selected.

  In step S1204, the CPU 11 determines whether the objects in the aligned objects selected in step S1203 overlap each other. If an overlap is detected between the objects, the process proceeds to step S1205. If not detected, this process is terminated.

  In step S1205, the CPU 11 calculates the pressure difference between the two pressing forces. For example, the CPU 11 calculates the pressure difference from the two pressures recorded as shown in FIG.

  In step S1206, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the pressure difference calculated in step S1205 exceeds a predetermined threshold (pressure difference threshold). Strictly speaking, even if the operator intends to press two points with the same strength, the difference between the pressures at the two points will occur. Therefore, the operation is performed only when the operator intentionally changes the pressure at the two points. It is a process for making it. The threshold may be set by the user. If it is determined that the detected pressure difference between the two points exceeds the threshold, the process proceeds to step S1207. On the other hand, if it does not exceed, this processing is terminated.

  In step S1207, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the two point presses on the aligned objects have continued beyond a predetermined time while maintaining the pressure difference (pressure difference exceeding the threshold) detected in step S1206. If the pressure difference is maintained for a predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S1208. In other cases, the process ends.

  In step S <b> 1208, the CPU 11 changes the display mode of the aligned objects so that the object on the side where the pressure is smaller is in front. In FIG. 11 (a), the pressure at which the pressure difference is point A <point B is detected from time t1 to tn with respect to the object aligned and displayed so that the object on the right side is in front. Here, when the time tn-t1 exceeds a predetermined time threshold value and the pressure difference between the points A and B exceeds a predetermined pressure difference threshold value, the CPU 11 sets these pressing forces to overlap the alignment objects. Interpreted as an operation to change the direction of alignment. Then, as shown in the object row 1102 in FIG. 8B, the CPU 11 changes the alignment direction of the aligned objects so that the object on the side where the pressing pressure is smaller, that is, the side closer to the point A is closer to the front. To do.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, when two pressing points are detected in an object row in which a plurality of objects are arranged in an overlapping manner, the object row is changed according to the direction of the pressure difference between the two pressing points. The overlapping direction of the constituting objects is changed. In the above description, the pressing points are indicated on the objects at both ends of the object row, but the present invention is not limited to this. You may make it change the overlap of an object according to the direction of the pressure difference of two press points instruct | indicated in the range including the vicinity of an object row | line | column or the vicinity of an object row | line | column. For example, when At1 and Bt1 are designated and maintained until time tn as shown in FIG. 14A, the overlapping direction is changed as shown in FIG. 14B. In other words, the overlapping direction of the object rows is changed according to the pressure difference direction 1401, and the same result as in FIG. 11 is obtained.

  In this way, by using the pressure difference between the two points of pressing, the overlapping direction of the entire aligned objects can be changed in one step.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 13A at time t1, there is an object set 1301 in which objects overlap each other, and At1 and Bt1 are pressed simultaneously at time t1. Here, the pressure at the pressing points of point A and point B is point A <point B. Then, the CPU 11 interprets the input of the pressing as an instruction to change the overlapping direction of the objects pressed at the points A and B in the object set 1301. Then, as shown in the object set 1302 in FIG. 13B, the CPU 11 displays the object specified by the pressing point with a small pressure only for the objects pressed at the points A and B. Change the overlap direction.

  As described above, in the above modification, when two objects having overlapping portions among a plurality of objects are selected by two pressing points, the display context of both objects is the pressure difference between the two pressing points. Will be changed based on. More specifically, among the two selected objects that are good for the two pressing points, an object corresponding to the pressing point having a small pressure is displayed in front. According to such control, since the direction of overlap between arbitrary objects in the object set can be changed in one step by using the pressure difference between the two points, operability can be improved. it can.

  Although the embodiment has been described in detail above, the present invention can take an embodiment as a system, apparatus, method, program, storage medium, or the like. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.

  In the present invention, the functions of the above-described embodiments are achieved by supplying a software program directly or remotely to a system or apparatus, and the computer of the system or apparatus reads and executes the supplied program code. Including the case. In this case, the supplied program is a computer program corresponding to the flowchart shown in the drawings in the embodiment.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

  Examples of the computer-readable storage medium for supplying the computer program include the following. For example, floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD- R).

  As another program supply method, a client computer browser is used to connect to a homepage on the Internet, and the computer program of the present invention is downloaded from the homepage to a recording medium such as a hard disk. In this case, the downloaded program may be a compressed file including an automatic installation function. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  Further, the program of the present invention may be encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and distributed to users. In this case, a user who has cleared a predetermined condition is allowed to download key information for decryption from a homepage via the Internet, execute an encrypted program using the key information, and install the program on the computer. You can also.

  In addition to the functions of the above-described embodiment being realized by the computer executing the read program, the embodiment of the embodiment is implemented in cooperation with an OS or the like running on the computer based on an instruction of the program. A function may be realized. In this case, the OS or the like performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  Furthermore, the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, so that part or all of the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized. May be. In this case, after a program is written in the function expansion board or function expansion unit, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program.

Claims (14)

An information processing apparatus including a touch screen that detects touch input,
Obtaining means for obtaining pressures of a plurality of pressing points corresponding to a plurality of touch inputs simultaneously existing on the touch screen;
An information processing apparatus comprising: generating means for generating an operation instruction based on the pressure of each of the acquired plurality of pressing points. The acquisition means further acquires a magnitude relationship between the pressures of the plurality of pressing points,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates an operation instruction based on the pressure relationship. The acquisition means further acquires movement of the plurality of pressing points,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates an operation instruction based on the plurality of pressures and the movement.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display control means for performing display control of an object displayed on the touch screen based on the acquired pressures of the plurality of pressing points. The object is a plurality of objects,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit aligns the plurality of objects based on the plurality of pressures. The object is an object having a plurality of overlapping contexts,
6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit changes an overlapping context of the plurality of overlapping objects based on the pressure. 7. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus including a touch screen that detects touch input,
An acquisition step of acquiring the pressure of each of a plurality of pressing points corresponding to a plurality of touch inputs existing simultaneously on the touch screen;
And a generation step of generating an operation instruction based on the pressure of each of the acquired plurality of pressing points. In the acquisition step, further acquiring the magnitude relationship between the pressures of the plurality of pressing points,
8. The information processing apparatus control method according to claim 7, wherein an operation instruction based on the pressure relationship is generated in the generation step. In the acquisition step, further acquiring movement of the plurality of pressing points,
9. The method of controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in the generating step, an operation instruction based on the plurality of pressures and the movement is generated.   10. The display control unit according to claim 7, further comprising: a display control step in which display control means performs display control of an object displayed on the touch screen based on the acquired pressures of the plurality of pressing points. Method for controlling the information processing apparatus. The object is a plurality of objects,
The information processing apparatus control method according to claim 10, wherein in the display control step, the plurality of objects are aligned based on the plurality of pressures. The object is an object having a plurality of overlapping contexts,
12. The method of controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, in the display control step, based on the pressure, the overlapping relationship of the plurality of overlapping objects is changed.   A program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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