JP2013149049A - Touch panel type input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily perform accurate and quick continuous inputs in a touch panel type input device for displaying a keyboard or ten keys on a touch panel, for input.SOLUTION: A touch panel type input device representatively comprises: a touch panel 110 for displaying a keyboard 114, for input; a display control unit 122 for displaying keys on the touch panel; a contact detection unit 124 for detecting a position touched with a finger on the touch panel; an input determination unit 126 for determining the input key from the touched position; and three-dimensional sensors 140 and 142 for detecting the position of the finger which disengages and contacts the touch panel and the distance from the touch panel. The display control unit is configured to, when the approaching finger is detected by the three-dimensional sensor, enlarging and displaying the keys with the position as a center, and to return the size of the keys to a standard size when the input of the keys is determined by the input determination unit.

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel type input device that performs input by displaying a keyboard or a numeric keypad on a touch panel.

  Conventionally, touch panel type input devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, PDAs, and ATMs are provided. A touch panel is one in which a resistive film type or a capacitance type contact sensor is superimposed on a display panel such as a liquid crystal or an organic EL. As a general example, when a virtual button or key is displayed on the display panel and it is detected that the position is touched (tapped) by the contact sensor, the button or key is operated as if it was pressed. The term touch panel originally means only a contact sensor (pointing device), but here, the display panel and the contact sensor are collectively referred to as a touch panel.

  In recent years, there has been a tendency to increase the display area mainly for the purpose of widening application screens for web browsers and games, and a touch panel is often laid out on almost the entire surface of the housing. However, even if the touch panel is enlarged, it is about 3 to 4 inches diagonal in a portable terminal such as a mobile phone, and about 7 to 10 inches diagonal in a tablet type terminal. Furthermore, due to the effect of higher resolution, there is a problem that keys and buttons displayed on the touch panel become extremely small and it becomes difficult to press the keys. This problem is particularly noticeable when a full keyboard is displayed on the touch panel.

  It is generally recognized that when a key becomes small, it becomes difficult to press the key because the finger touches not only the key to be pressed but also the adjacent key. For this reason, in the device driver of the touch panel, processing is performed in which the average center of the area where contact is detected is recognized as the touched coordinate. However, with this alone, a small and dense keyboard still frequently mistypes. Further examination of this point reveals that when the finger is brought closer, the key to be pressed and the adjacent key are both hidden behind the finger and cannot be seen, so the area around the key to be pressed cannot be touched. Can be mentioned.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a keyboard device that enlarges a key on a screen when a finger is brought close to it. Specifically, it is described that a key display control unit, a touch sensor unit, and a finger sensor unit that detects the position of a finger when the finger approaches the key display control unit are displayed to enlarge and display a key close to the finger position. Yes. Thereby, the keyboard device can be reduced in size without reducing the operability and without reducing the number of keys. The improvement in convenience by this configuration is thought to be due to the fact that the area of the key to be pressed increases and the adjacent key is not hidden by the finger.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 02-153415

  However, according to the configuration of Patent Document 1, the distance from the touch panel to the finger is proportional to the change in the enlargement ratio on the touch panel. That is, the image is gradually enlarged when the finger is brought closer, and gradually reduced when the finger is moved away. Here, when the key to be pressed is enlarged, the positions of the surrounding keys are displaced. For this reason, when a certain key is pressed, even if the position of the key to be pressed next is visually recognized, if the finger is moved, there will be a situation where there is no key at that position (the finger has gone too far). In order to avoid this, there is a problem that it is necessary to remove a finger sufficiently from the touch panel once, so that high-speed continuous input is difficult.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable easy and reliable continuous high-speed input in a touch panel type input device that performs input by displaying a keyboard or a numeric keypad on a touch panel.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a typical configuration of a touch panel type input device according to the present invention includes a touch panel that displays a keyboard for input, a display control unit that displays keys on the touch panel, and a finger on the touch panel. A contact detection unit that detects a position touched by the touch panel, an input determination unit that determines a key that is input from the touched position, and a three-dimensional sensor that detects the position of the finger that touches the touch panel and the distance from the touch panel. The display control unit enlarges and displays the key around the position when the three-dimensional sensor detects the approaching finger, and displays the key as a standard size when the input determination unit determines the key input. It is characterized by returning to the height.

  The time when the input determination unit confirms the input can be either when the contact detection unit detects a finger contact or when it detects that the finger is released.

  When the display control unit detects a finger approaching by the three-dimensional sensor, it is preferable that the display is not enlarged if the finger is far from a predetermined first distance, and the enlargement is started when the distance is closer than the first distance.

  When the display control unit detects the approaching finger, the display control unit may fix the magnification when the finger is closer to the predetermined second distance that is closer to the first distance.

  The display control unit can display a part of the key enlarged or a part of the key when the key is enlarged.

  The display control unit enlarges and displays the key at a stepwise enlargement ratio with respect to the finger distance detected by the three-dimensional sensor, and changes the enlargement rate with hysteresis that switches the step after a predetermined amount of threshold value. May be.

  The display control unit may vary the enlargement ratio for each type of keyboard or application.

  The center of enlargement by the display control unit is the position of a finger on a standard size keyboard, and the input determination unit is a standard size keyboard even when the display control unit is displaying an enlarged view. The key input from the touched position in the layout (standard layout) may be determined.

  The center of enlargement by the display control unit is the position of the finger on the standard-sized keyboard at the start of enlargement. After starting the enlargement, the center is fixed, and the input determination unit is the layout of the enlarged keyboard. The key input from the touched position in (enlarged layout) may be determined.

  The center of enlargement by the display control unit is the position of the finger on the standard size keyboard from the first distance to the second distance, and when it is closer than the second distance, the center of enlargement is fixed and the input determination The unit may determine the input key from the touched position in the enlarged keyboard layout.

  According to the present invention, when the input is confirmed, the key is returned to the standard size. At this time, even if the finger is moved while visually recognizing the position of the key to be pressed next, the position of the key does not change. For this reason, reliable and high-speed continuous input can be easily performed.

It is a figure explaining the structure of the portable terminal as an example of a touchscreen type input device. It is a figure explaining distance and a magnification. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen at the time of expansion / reduction. It is a figure which shows the example which expanded the keyboard partially. It is a figure explaining control using the 2nd distance. This is an example in which the enlargement ratio by the display control unit is stepped with respect to the finger distance.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a portable terminal as an example of a touch panel type input device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile terminal, and FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating a three-dimensional sensor. In addition to a portable terminal as a touch panel type input device, the present invention can be applied to any touch panel type input device such as a smartphone, PHS, PDA, or ATM.

  A mobile terminal 100 shown in FIG. 1A includes a touch panel 110 that occupies most of the area on the front surface. The touch panel 110 is formed by superposing a resistive film type or capacitive type contact sensor on a display panel such as a liquid crystal or an organic EL. A text input unit 112 (application operation screen) and a keyboard 114 (front-end processor operation screen) are displayed on the touch panel 110. The user can change the position of the caret by touching the text input unit 112 or input by touching the keyboard 114. Instead of the keyboard 114, a numeric keypad, a command key, a character string with a link, or the like may be displayed.

  The front-end processor 120 (displayed as FEP in the figure) is a program that performs preprocessing for character input to an arbitrary application 130, and accepts an input operation from the user, and is a character string that is fixed for the application 130 It has a function to send out. The front end processor 120 includes a display control unit 122, a contact detection unit 124, and an input determination unit 126.

  The display control unit 122 displays a full keyboard of alphanumeric characters or a keyboard 114 such as a numeric keypad on the touch panel 110. When the user's finger touches the touch panel 110, the touch panel 110 sends the coordinates of the touched area to the contact detection unit 124. The contact detection unit 124 calculates, for example, the coordinates of the center of the area from the area received from the touch panel, and detects the position where the finger touches. The input determination unit 126 compares the displayed position of the keyboard 114 with the touched position to determine the input key.

  The three-dimensional sensors 140 and 142 detect the position of a finger that comes in contact with the touch panel 110 and the distance from the touch panel. As the three-dimensional sensors 140 and 142, for example, two imaging devices can be used. In the example shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, a pair of imaging devices are disposed facing each other at the upper end and the lower end of the touch panel 110. When the finger approaches, the contour of the finger is extracted based on a known object detection algorithm. The position of the finger in the left-right direction with respect to the touch panel 110 and the distance of the finger from the touch panel 110 can be acquired from the contour of one imaging device. The position of the finger in the vertical direction with respect to the touch panel 110 can be obtained from the difference (ratio) between the sizes of the fingers in the two imaging devices.

  In addition to using an imaging device, the three-dimensional sensor may be realized by object detection using reflection of sound waves or radio waves, such as an ultrasonic sensor or a microwave sensor.

  Here, when the three-dimensional sensors 140 and 142 detect the approaching finger, the display control unit 122 enlarges and displays the key around the position.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the distance and the enlargement ratio. FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example in which input is confirmed at the time of contact, and FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an example in which input is confirmed at the time of separation. In FIG. 2, the horizontal axis indicates time, the left axis and solid line indicate distance, and the right axis and alternate long and short dash line indicate magnification. FIG. 2 shows the state of the tap. The finger gradually approaches from timing 0, the finger touches the touch panel 110 at time t2 (press), the finger moves away from the touch panel 110 at time t3 (release), and then gradually. I'm away.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2A, when the three-dimensional sensors 140 and 142 detect the approaching finger, the display control unit 122 does not enlarge the display if the distance is longer than a predetermined first distance (magnification rate 1). ), The enlargement is started from the timing t1 that is closer than the first distance.

  Thereby, it is possible to prevent inadvertent start of enlargement and to prevent the user from feeling unstable. The first distance can be set to an arbitrary distance within the detection range of the three-dimensional sensor, but is preferably a distance that does not detect a face even if it is far away, for example, about several centimeters to several tens of centimeters. Can do.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a screen at the time of enlargement / reduction, FIG. 3 (a) is a view showing a slightly enlarged state, FIG. 3 (b) is a view showing a further enlarged state, and FIG. 3 (c) is a standard view. It is a figure which shows the state returned to the magnitude | size. 3A and 3B, the center of enlargement by the display control unit 122 is the position of a finger on a standard size keyboard. That is, when the tip of the finger is on the character “J” of the keyboard 114 before enlargement, the character “J” is enlarged and displayed at the center. The display control unit 122 may vary the enlargement ratio for each type of keyboard 114 or each application.

  When the position of the finger is shifted and comes over the character “K” on the right side, the display is enlarged with the character “K” as the center. The enlarged key moves in the opposite direction to the direction of finger movement. The movement amount of the key is the same magnification as the enlargement rate with respect to the movement amount of the finger (if the magnification is displayed twice, the movement amount is also doubled). For example, when the letter “J” is enlarged and displayed, the letter “K” next to the letter “J” is hidden by the key “J”. However, the center of enlargement uses a standard keyboard layout (standard layout). Therefore, when the finger is at the center of the enlarged “J” key and the finger is moved to the right end of the “J” key, if the finger is at the “K” position in the standard layout, the enlarged “ The key “J” escapes and the enlarged “K” key slides under the finger.

  Therefore, even though the enlarged key is pressed, the position is exactly the position of the key in the standard layout which is not actually enlarged. Therefore, the input determination unit 126 can determine the input key from the position in contact with the standard layout. In this way, the user's finger can always be accurately guided to the correct key position in the standard layout.

  What is important here is that the key adjacent to the key to be pressed is sufficiently hidden without being hidden by the finger, rather than being enlarged. In many cases, the area of the area where the finger comes into contact is larger than the area of each key. However, according to the above configuration, the area around the key to be pressed can be reliably touched.

  Further, as a characteristic point of the present invention, when the input is confirmed, the enlarged key is returned to the standard size. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2A, the input determination unit 126 determines the key input at the timing t <b> 2 when the finger touches the touch panel 110 (determines by the press event). Then, the display control unit 122 returns the keyboard 114 that has been enlarged and displayed to the standard size (enlargement ratio 1). FIG. 3C shows a state in which the display of the keyboard 114 is returned even though the finger is still touching the touch panel 110.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2B, the input determination unit 126 finalizes the key input (determines by the release event) at the timing t3 when the finger is separated from the touch panel 110. During the period from t2 to t3, the enlarged display state is maintained at the maximum enlargement ratio. Then, the display control unit 122 returns the keyboard 114 to the standard size (enlargement ratio 1).

  By operating as described above, when the input is confirmed, the position of the key to be pressed next is visually recognized, and even if the finger is moved toward that position, the position of the key does not change. For this reason, reliable and high-speed continuous input can be easily performed.

  In FIG. 3, the keyboard 114 is illustrated as being entirely enlarged (the entire keyboard is displayed at a uniform enlargement ratio), but only the vicinity of the enlargement center may be partially enlarged and displayed. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the keyboard is partially enlarged.

  The center of enlargement by the display control unit 122 may be the position of the finger on the standard layout at the start of enlargement, but may be fixed after the enlargement is started. At this time, the input determination unit 126 determines the input key from the position in contact with the enlarged keyboard layout (enlarged layout). As a result, it is possible to prevent the enlarged key from moving rapidly. In addition, since the area that allows input to one key is widened, input is facilitated.

  In FIG. 2, the description has been made so that the finger is enlarged until it touches the touch panel 110. However, when the display control unit 122 detects the approaching finger by the three-dimensional sensors 140 and 142, the display control unit 122 may fix the magnification when the finger is closer to the predetermined second distance than the first distance.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining control using the second distance. The display control unit 122 starts the enlargement from the timing t1 that is closer than the first distance, and fixes the enlargement rate from the timing t4 that is closer than the second distance. When the finger touches the touch panel 110 at timing t2, the input determination unit 126 determines the key input, and the display control unit 122 returns the keyboard 114 to the standard size. As a result, the key can be enlarged earlier, the key can be prevented from becoming extremely large, and a visual stability can be obtained.

  In the example of FIG. 5, when the distance is closer than the second distance (after the enlargement ratio is fixed), the enlargement center may be fixed so that the keyboard does not move. At this time, the input determination unit 126 determines the input key from the position in contact with the enlarged keyboard layout (enlarged layout).

  As a result, if the finger is moved up to a certain distance, the enlarged key moves in the opposite direction, and when the finger gets closer, the movement of the enlarged key is suppressed, and the area that allows input becomes wide, Furthermore, input becomes easy.

  In FIGS. 2 and 5, it has been described that the enlargement ratio is changed in proportion to the distance. However, the enlargement ratio may be gradual with respect to the finger distance. For example, stepwise magnification is assumed such that the number of dots of the line width is an integral multiple. At this time, if the finger stays within the threshold distance for switching the enlargement ratio, there is a possibility that chattering in which enlargement and reduction are switched at high speed may occur.

  FIG. 6 is an example in which the enlargement ratio by the display control unit 122 is stepped with respect to the finger distance. In FIG. 6, the threshold value is indicated by a broken line. The display control unit 122 switches the enlargement ratio after approaching a predetermined amount from the threshold when approaching, and switches the enlargement ratio after moving a predetermined amount from the threshold when moving away from the display. To change. This can prevent chattering in which enlargement and reduction are switched at high speed when the finger stays at a threshold distance.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  The present invention can be used as a touch panel type input device that performs input by displaying a keyboard or a numeric keypad on a touch panel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Portable terminal, 110 ... Touch panel, 112 ... Text input part, 114 ... Keyboard, 120 ... Front end processor, 122 ... Display control part, 124 ... Contact detection part, 126 ... Input determination part, 130 ... Application, 140 ... 3 Dimensional sensor, 142 ... 3D sensor

Claims (10)

A touch panel that displays a keyboard for input, and
A display control unit for displaying keys on the touch panel;
A contact detection unit that detects a position where a finger touches the touch panel;
An input determination unit for determining a key input from the touched position;
A three-dimensional sensor that detects a position of a finger that is separated from and touching the touch panel and a distance from the touch panel;
The display control unit enlarges and displays the key around the position when the three-dimensional sensor detects the approaching finger, and displays the key when the input determination unit determines the key input. A touch panel type input device that is returned to its size.   The time when the input determination unit confirms the input is either when the contact detection unit detects a finger contact or when the finger detection is detected. The touch panel type input device described.   The display control unit, when detecting a finger approaching by the three-dimensional sensor, does not enlarge the display if it is farther than a predetermined first distance, and starts to enlarge when it is closer than the first distance. The touch panel type input device according to claim 1 or 2.   The display control unit, when detecting the approaching finger by the three-dimensional sensor, fixes an enlargement ratio when it is closer than a predetermined second distance that is closer than the first distance. Touch panel type input device according to.   5. The display control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the key is enlarged and displayed, the display control unit displays the image partially enlarged or entirely enlarged. 6. Touch panel type input device according to.   The display control unit enlarges and displays the key at a stepwise enlargement rate with respect to the finger distance detected by the three-dimensional sensor, and sets the enlargement rate with hysteresis that switches the step after a predetermined amount of threshold value is exceeded. The touch panel type input device according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel type input device is changed.   The touch panel type input device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit varies an enlargement ratio for each type of keyboard or each application. The center of enlargement by the display control unit is the position of a finger on a standard size keyboard,
The input determination unit determines a key input from a touched position in a standard-size keyboard layout even when the display control unit displays an enlarged image. The touch panel type input device according to any one of 1 to 7. The center of enlargement by the display control unit is the position of the finger on the standard size keyboard at the start of enlargement, and after starting the enlargement, the center is fixed,
The touch panel type input device according to claim 1, wherein the input determination unit determines a key input from a position touched by an enlarged keyboard layout. The center of enlargement by the display control unit is the position of a finger on a standard-sized keyboard from the first distance to the second distance, and when it is closer than the second distance, the center of enlargement is fixed. ,
The touch panel type input device according to claim 4, wherein the input determination unit determines a key input from a position touched by an enlarged keyboard layout.

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