JP2014099200A - Mapping system, mapping method, position display method and program for allowing computer to execute computer readable code - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a computer program, a mapping system and method for effectively controlling the movement of a pointer on a display unit.SOLUTION: The mapping system is configured to convert position data corresponding to an input position on a tablet pointed by a position pointing device into position data to be displayed at a display, and to execute plotting control to perform plotting corresponding to a position pointing operation on the screen of the display, and to, when the input position on the tablet is pointed by the position pointing device, execute coordinate conversion of converting the position data corresponding to the input position on the tablet into the coordinate data of the position on the screen of the display such that plotting corresponding to the position pointing operation on the tablet is formed in the periphery of the position on the screen of the display corresponding to the input position on the tablet pointed by the position pointing device in accordance with a scaling relation switched by an input to switch a first scaling relation and a second scaling relation different from the first scaling relation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mapping system for mapping position data of a graphic tablet to an associated display, a mapping method, a position display method, and a program for causing a computer to execute a computer readable code.

  A graphics tablet or digitizer tablet is a computer peripheral that is used to draw or navigate on a computer system. Graphics tablets typically include a flat sensing area and associated tools, usually pen-like or mouse-like. These tablets measure X and Y coordinate positions, as well as other parameters such as pen tip pressure, pen tilt, mouse buttons, mouse rotation, and the like. A graphic tablet can be realized using various technologies. One exemplary technique uses electrical resistance and determines the position by measuring the voltage ratio across the conductive sheet. Another exemplary technique uses electromagnetics and detects position by interpolating signal strength across a series of induction coils. Various other techniques are available including triangulation of sound or light waves, measurement of force applied to the corners of the tablet, measurement of electric field distortion, and the like. The resolution of the position detected by these techniques is usually 0.025 mm or more.

  The position information from the tablet is most often used to move a pointer on the display during navigation or to draw “virtual ink” on the display during a drawing operation. Since the resolution of the display is much lower than the tablet (about 0.25 mm per pixel), coordinate transformation is required to establish the tablet-display relationship. The default transformation typically scales the tablet coordinates so that the entire width of the tablet fits the entire width of the computer system desktop (a desktop is a collection of one or more monitors arranged in a tile). The overall height of the tablet is usually scaled to fit the entire height of the desktop.

Systems with multiple monitors used to form large desktops are becoming popular. For small, opaque digitizer tablets, mapping a small digitizer tablet to two or more monitors, or an entire large monitor, can result in a large difference in physical scale, which can cause very little hand movement on the screen. It will be a big move. For example, for a 4 × 5 inch tablet mapped to a dual 19 inch monitor, a 1 inch movement on the tablet results in a movement of about 6 inches on the monitor. With this configuration, it is difficult for the user to achieve an accurate amount of movement on the desktop.

The present invention relates to a position detected by a tablet in a system including a position indicating device, a tablet that detects a position indicated by the position indicating device, and a display that performs display corresponding to the position detected by the tablet. This is a program that causes a computer to execute computer-readable code for mapping and mapping coordinates to a position on a display screen.
In this program, the position data corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device is converted into the position data for display on the display, and the drawing according to the position pointing operation by the position pointing device on the display screen Causes the computer to execute drawing control for performing.
The drawing according to the position pointing operation by the position pointing device on the tablet is the first scaling relationship and the first scaling relationship when the position pointing device indicates the input position on the tablet. Corresponding to the scaling relationship switched by the input to switch different second scaling relationships, formed around the position on the screen of the display corresponding to the input position on the tablet indicated by the position pointing device, A computer is caused to perform coordinate conversion which is converted into coordinate data of a position on a display screen.

The present invention also provides a position pointing device, a tablet that detects the position pointed to by the position pointing device, a display that performs display corresponding to the position detected by the tablet, and the position detected by the tablet. A mapping system including a computer that executes computer-readable code for converting coordinates to a position on a screen.
In this mapping system, the computer converts the position data corresponding to the input position on the tablet designated by the position pointing device into position data for display on the display, and the position by the position pointing device on the screen of the display. Drawing control is performed to perform drawing according to the instruction operation.
Further, the computer draws the first scaling relationship and the first scaling relationship when the drawing in accordance with the position pointing operation on the tablet indicates the input position on the tablet. In correspondence with the scaling relationship switched by the input to switch the second scaling relationship different from, the display is formed around the position on the screen of the display corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device. In addition, coordinate conversion that is converted into coordinate data of a position on the screen of the display is executed.

The present invention is also a mapping method in which a position designated by a position pointing device is detected by a tablet, and the position detected by the tablet is converted into a position on the screen of a display and displayed.
According to the mapping method of the present invention, the position data corresponding to the input position on the tablet designated by the position pointing device is converted into the position data for display on the display, and the position by the position pointing device is displayed on the display screen. Drawing control is performed to perform drawing according to the instruction operation.
Then, the drawing according to the position pointing operation by the position pointing device on the tablet is the first scaling relationship and the first scaling relationship when the position pointing device indicates the input position on the tablet. Corresponding to the scaling relationship switched by the input to switch different second scaling relationships, formed around the position on the screen of the display corresponding to the input position on the tablet indicated by the position pointing device, Coordinate conversion is performed, which is converted into coordinate data of a position on the screen of the display.

Further, the present invention is a position display method in which a position pointed by a position pointing device is detected by a tablet, and the position detected by the tablet is converted into a position on the screen of a display and displayed.
According to the position display method of the present invention, the position data corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position indicating device is converted into the position data to be displayed on the display, and is displayed on the screen of the display by the position indicating device. Drawing control for drawing in accordance with the position instruction operation is executed.
The drawing corresponding to the position pointing operation by the position pointing device on the tablet is different from the first scaling relationship and the first scaling relationship when the position pointing device indicates the input position on the tablet. The display is configured to be formed around a position on the screen of the display corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device corresponding to the scaling relation switched by the input to switch the second scaling relation. Coordinate conversion is performed which is converted into coordinate data of a position on the screen.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a digitizer system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates the mapping operation of the mapping unit of FIG. 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a digitizer tablet and position pointing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for mapping digitizer tablet position data to display screen position data according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention shown in the attached drawings will be described in detail below. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding members. It should be noted, however, that the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and examples illustrated and described in this section with respect to the preferred embodiments. The invention in its various aspects is specifically and specifically claimed in the following claims and the equivalents thereof, which can be read in the context of this specification.

  Some graphic tablets provide a control panel that allows the user to set the relationship between the tablet and desktop, referred to herein as mapping, to some degree of freedom. The user is given the option to select a smaller part than the whole tablet to use for mapping. The user can select an area to be used on the tablet by a figure, a numerical value, or an option. Similarly, users are often given the option to select the portion of the desktop to which the tablet area is mapped. This can be realized by selecting a specific monitor screen from a plurality of monitors or screens, or by selecting a certain area of the desktop to be used for mapping by a figure or a numerical value. If the user wants to change the current settings, he must access and interact with the control panel in the GUI to change the mapping. Access to the control panel typically requires multiple selection commands including, for example, control panel selection, function selection, various parameter selection, and the like.

  Wacom Computer offers products with Quick Point mode mapping. This software maps two predetermined tablet areas to one display area. One area is selected to be small so that a wide display area can be covered with a small hand movement. As the other area, a large area is selected to enable detailed drawing or figure positioning / movement. The quick point mode is switched between a predetermined double quick point area and a single tablet area, and can be switched on / off via a tablet menu item or a screen menu.

  Unlike the mapping function described above requiring the user to access the control panel, dialog box, and / or tablet menu and change settings via multiple selection commands, embodiments of the present invention are "on the fly" That is, it allows the user to easily change the mapping between the tablet and the desktop while the tablet and display operate in real time. Thus, the user's drawing or figure positioning / movement is not interrupted by the mapping change, and the user can draw and / or use the digitizer / graphics application while changing the mapping.

  As best shown in FIG. 1, a digitizer system 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a tablet 4 that detects a position input, particularly a display unit 6 that displays a pointer 8 (see FIG. 2), a tablet 4 and a display unit 6. A mapping unit 10 that maps position data from the tablet 4 to position data for the display unit 6 based on the scaling relationship between and the input device 12 that switches the scaling relationship between the tablet 4 and the display unit 6.

  The tablet 4 is a digitizer tablet and can be used for graphic design and other applications. Tablet 4 is a Wacom digitizer tablet such as US Pat. No. 7,005,843, US Pat. No. 6,930,674, US Pat. No. 6,810,351, US Pat. No. 5,898,136, Or it may be a tablet disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,644,108, the entire text of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

  As best shown in FIG. 3, the tablet 4 may be associated with a position indicating device 14 that performs an input operation on or near the tablet detection surface 16. The tablet 4 has a plurality of detection elements (not shown) arranged below the tablet detection surface 16 so as to detect a position input along an XY coordinate grid defined in the tablet 4. These detection elements generate position data corresponding to the input position on the tablet detection surface 16.

  The mapping unit 10 converts the position data corresponding to the input position represented by the XY coordinate grid of the tablet 4 into the position data for the display unit 6 represented by the XY pixel coordinate grid. The input device 12 controls the mapping unit 10 to switch the scaling relationship. Based on this conversion, the input position and / or movement on the tablet detection surface 16 shown in FIG. 3 can be represented on the display unit 6 by the pointer 8 shown in FIG.

  The mapping unit 10 can perform the above-described conversion so that the XY coordinate grid of the tablet 4 matches the XY pixel coordinate grid of the display unit 6. In this case, since the magnification between the XY coordinate grid of the tablet 4 and the XY pixel coordinate grid of the display unit 6 is small, a small movement on the tablet 4 becomes a large movement on the display unit 6. When performing this conversion, the mapping unit 10 operates in the coarse positioning / movement mode using the first scaling relationship. In this mode, movement along the tablet 4 causes the pointer 8 shown in FIG. 2 to move to any location within the XY pixel coordinate grid of the display unit 6.

  The mapping unit 10 can also map the XY coordinate grid of the tablet 4 to a smaller area within the XY pixel coordinate grid of the display unit 6 to define a smaller XY pixel coordinate grid. In this case, since the magnification between the XY coordinate grid of the tablet 4 and the XY pixel coordinate grid of the display unit 6 is large, a large movement on the tablet 4 causes the XY pixel coordinate grid of the display unit 6 to move. A small movement on the top. When performing this conversion, the mapping unit 10 operates in the fine positioning / movement mode using the second scaling relationship. In this mode, movement along the tablet 4 results in movement to any location within the smaller XY pixel coordinate grid that defines a smaller moving window than the area of the display unit 6.

  The left side of FIG. 2 shows the display unit 6 and the tablet 4 when the mapping unit 10 operates in the coarse positioning / movement mode using the first scaling relationship. The right side of FIG. 2 also shows the display unit 6 and the tablet 4 when the mapping unit 10 operates in the fine positioning / movement mode using the second scaling relationship. The display unit 6 includes a screen 22 on which the pointer 8 is displayed. In the coarse positioning / moving mode associated with a small magnification, the pointer 8 moves freely on the screen 22 because the XY coordinate grid of the tablet 4 matches the XY pixel coordinate grid of the entire screen 22. Is possible. Accordingly, in this mode, the pointer 8 on the screen 22 moves greatly by a small movement of the position indicating device 14 along the tablet 4.

  On the other hand, in the fine positioning / movement mode associated with a large magnification, the pointer 8 can freely move the moving window 24 having a size defined by the second scaling relationship. The position of the moving window 24 in the screen 22 is determined by the current position of the pointer 8 on the screen 22 when the positioning / moving mode is switched. That is, when the input device 12 switches the operation mode of the mapping unit 10, the pointer 8 remains at the same position on the screen 22, and the mapping unit 10 defines a moving window around the current position of the pointer 8. In this way, the pointer 8 can be moved to an approximate area on the screen 22 and then precisely positioned or moved to an exact location on the screen 22.

  In particular, when multiple screens are used to maximize the desktop space, a small movement on the tablet 4 when the XY coordinate grid of the tablet 4 is aligned with the XY pixel coordinate grid of the entire desktop space. Will be a significant move on the desktop space. However, according to the present invention, the user switches to the fine positioning / movement mode in which the XY coordinate grid of the tablet 4 is aligned with the smaller display area of the XY pixel coordinate grid of the desktop space, and the smaller display area. Precise positioning and movement control can be realized.

  In FIG. 2, the single screen 22 of the display unit 6 is shown as a desktop space. However, as a matter of course, the desktop space may include a plurality of screens 22 having a tile configuration to which the pointer 8 can move. Accordingly, the “screen” and “display unit 6” of the display unit 6 are used herein to refer to the desktop space of one or more screens or display monitors. The display unit 6 may include any type of display screen that can be used with the tablet 4. The display unit 6 may be controlled by a connected personal computer or may be controlled by the tablet 4 itself.

  The above-described scaling relationship refers to the number of XY pixel coordinates on the display unit 6 for each XY coordinate of the tablet 4. These relationships define the amount of movement on the display unit 6 caused by movement on the tablet 4. The mapping unit 10 can store multiple conversion functions or scaling relationships for different degrees of positioning or movement.

  The precision positioning mode magnification may be 1 or more, or preferably 2 or more. On the other hand, the magnification in the coarse positioning mode may be less than 1.

  For example, the mapping unit 10 includes a first scaling relationship in which the tablet's 4 inch x 5 inch XY coordinate grid is aligned with the desktop space 8 inch x 10 inch XY pixel coordinate grid. Good. In this case, the magnification is 0.5. The mapping unit 10 of this example also includes a second 4 ”× 5” XY coordinate grid of the tablet that is aligned with a 3 ”× 3.75” area of the XY pixel coordinate grid of the desktop space. Scaling relationships may be included. In this case, the magnification is about 1.33. The second scaling relationship may be preset and stored by the user according to the selection for precision positioning / movement.

  The mapping unit 10 can be realized as a part of the display unit 6, a part of the tablet 4, or a part of a personal computer that connects the tablet 4 and the display unit 6. The mapping unit 10 can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium. The computer readable recording medium may be any data storage device that can store data which can be thereafter read by a computer system. Examples of computer readable recording media include read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and carrier wave (data transmission over the Internet Etc.).

  As best shown in FIGS. 1-3, the input device 12 controls the mapping unit 10 to switch the scaling relationship. The input device 12 can recalculate the origin and / or scale of the screen area each time the scaling relationship is switched. The pointer 8 does not move on the screen 22 when the user firmly holds the position pointing device 14 and the input device 12 causes the mapping unit 10 to switch modes. By keeping this pointer in the same position, the user can seamlessly navigate between the positioning / movement modes without interrupting the tablet 4 as it is being used in the graphics application.

  The input device 12 may be a binary physical input device, for example, a button 18 on the tablet 4 shown in FIG. 3, or a button 20 on the position pointing device 14 shown in FIG. Alternatively, the input device 12 may be a hot key, a switch, a wheel or the like on a personal computer keyboard. As best shown in FIG. 3, the input device 12 is positioned in a location that is easily accessible by the user so that the scaling relationship or positioning / movement mode can be performed while the tablet 4 and the position pointing device 14 operate in real time. You can switch to “on the fly”. As a result, the user is not required to navigate to the control panel settings screen, menu settings screen, or dialog box and enter multiple selection commands to change the scale parameters.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the button 18 or 20 is a toggle button for changing the operation mode of the mapping unit 10, and the operation mode changes each time the button 18 or 20 is pressed.

  Alternatively, the button 18 or 20 may be maintained or held in a pressed state, operated in the fine positioning / movement mode, and released to return to the coarse positioning / movement mode. In this case, the user always recognizes the current positioning / movement mode of the mapping unit 10.

  The ease of switching between positioning / moving modes by the user is particularly useful in drawing or graphic design applications that use large desktop spaces. In this case, the user can quickly and easily switch the positioning / movement mode, draw with different fineness, or move the pointer 8 shown in FIG.

  As best shown in FIG. 4, the method for mapping the position data from the tablet 4 to the position data of the display unit 6 begins in step S26. In step S26, tablet coordinates are mapped to display coordinates by the mapping unit 10 based on a predetermined initial scaling relationship. In step S28, it is determined whether or not the input device 12 is operating to switch the operation of the mapping unit 10. If it is determined in step S28 that the input device 12 is operating, the tablet coordinates are mapped to display coordinates by the mapping unit 10 based on a predetermined alternative scaling relationship in step S30. In this step, the mapping unit 10 forms a moving window around the current position of the pointer 8 shown in FIG. If it is determined in step S28 that the input device 12 is not operating, the mapping unit 10 continues to map tablet coordinates to display coordinates based on the initial relationship.

  In step S32, it is determined whether or not the input device has stopped operating. If it is determined in step S32 that the input device has stopped operating, in step S26, the initial predetermined scaling relationship is restored. Otherwise, in step S30, operation continues using the other scaling relationship.

  Although the description herein describes the first and second scaling relationships and the coarse and fine positioning / movement modes, the present invention may use more than two types of scaling relationships or positioning / movement modes. I want you to understand.

  Further, although the embodiments of the present invention are described with respect to the tablet 2 of the digitizer system 2, the present invention can be used with other motion input devices used to move a cursor or pointer on a desktop or screen instead of a tablet. I want you to understand. Some other exemplary motion input devices include, but are not limited to, a mouse, joystick, trackball, and the like.

  While several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, modifications may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as defined by the appended claims and equivalents. Will be understood by those skilled in the art.

  2 ... digitizer system, 4 ... tablet, 6 ... display unit, 8 ... pointer, 10 ... mapping unit, 12 ... input device, 14 ... position pointing device, 16 ... ..Tablet detection surface, 18, 20 ... button, 22 ... screen, 24 ... moving window

Claims (8)

In a system including a position indicating device, a tablet that detects a position indicated by the position indicating device, and a display that performs display corresponding to the position detected by the tablet, the position detected by the tablet is A program that causes a computer to execute computer-readable code for coordinate conversion and mapping to a position on a display screen,
Drawing the position data corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device into position data for display on the display and drawing on the display screen according to the position pointing operation by the position pointing device While performing drawing control to perform
The drawing according to the position indicating operation by the position indicating device on the tablet includes a first scaling relationship and a first scaling relationship when the position indicating device indicates an input position on the tablet. Is formed around a position on the screen of the display corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device corresponding to the scaling relation switched by an input to switch different second scaling relations As described above, a program that causes a computer to execute computer-readable code that performs coordinate conversion that is converted into coordinate data of a position on the screen of the display.   2. The computer according to claim 1, wherein an input for switching the second scaling relationship different from the first scaling relationship and the first scaling relationship is performed by operating the position pointing device. A program that causes a computer to execute readable code.   The computer-readable code according to claim 1, wherein an input for switching the second scaling relationship different from the first scaling relationship and the first scaling relationship is performed by operating the tablet. A program that causes a computer to execute. A position indicating device; a tablet that detects a position indicated by the position indicating device; a display that performs display corresponding to the position detected by the tablet; and a position detected by the tablet on the screen of the display. A mapping system comprising a computer executing computer readable code for transforming and mapping to a position of
Drawing the position data corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device into position data for display on the display and drawing on the display screen according to the position pointing operation by the position pointing device While performing drawing control to perform
The drawing according to the position indicating operation by the position indicating device on the tablet includes a first scaling relationship and a first scaling relationship when the position indicating device indicates an input position on the tablet. Is formed around a position on the screen of the display corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device corresponding to the scaling relation switched by an input to switch different second scaling relations As described above, the mapping system is characterized in that the coordinate conversion is performed to convert the coordinate data of the position of the display on the screen.   5. The mapping according to claim 4, wherein an input for switching the second scaling relationship different from the first scaling relationship and the first scaling relationship is performed by operating the position pointing device. system.   The mapping system according to claim 4, wherein an input for switching the second scaling relationship different from the first scaling relationship and the first scaling relationship is performed by operating the tablet. A mapping method in which a position indicated by a position indicating device is detected by a tablet, and the position detected by the tablet is converted into a position on a screen of a display and displayed.
Drawing the position data corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device into position data for display on the display and drawing on the display screen according to the position pointing operation by the position pointing device While performing drawing control to perform
The drawing according to the position indicating operation by the position indicating device on the tablet includes a first scaling relationship and a first scaling relationship when the position indicating device indicates an input position on the tablet. Is formed around a position on the screen of the display corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device corresponding to the scaling relation switched by an input to switch different second scaling relations As described above, the mapping method is characterized in that the coordinate conversion is performed to convert the coordinate data into the position data on the screen of the display. A position display method in which a position indicated by a position indicating device is detected by a tablet, and the position detected by the tablet is converted into a position on a screen of a display and displayed.
Drawing the position data corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device into position data for display on the display and drawing on the display screen according to the position pointing operation by the position pointing device While performing drawing control to perform
The drawing according to the position indicating operation by the position indicating device on the tablet includes a first scaling relationship and a first scaling relationship when the position indicating device indicates an input position on the tablet. Is formed around a position on the screen of the display corresponding to the input position on the tablet instructed by the position pointing device corresponding to the scaling relation switched by an input to switch different second scaling relations As described above, the position display method is characterized in that coordinate conversion is performed to convert the coordinate data into the position coordinate data on the screen of the display.

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