JP2014137679A - Pointing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a pointing device having a high operability and portability.SOLUTION: The pointing device includes: a bottom surface having a rectangular shape with the length of a long side being 4 cm to 10 cm and the length of a short side being 1 cm to 4 cm; a left side surface erected substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface at the side of a first short side of the bottom surface; a right side surface erected substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface at the side of a second short side of the bottom surface; a rear side surface provided at the side of a first long side of the bottom surface; a front side surface provided at the side of a second long side of the bottom surface, and a top surface facing substantially parallel to the bottom surface at an interval of 0.5 cm to 3 cm at least as a casing. The pointing device further includes: a photo sensor which converts light into an electric signal at a prescribed position of the front side surface; a click determination part for determining whether or not a click operation is performed based on the electric signal obtained by the photo sensor; and a click information generation part for generating click information when the click operation is determined to be performed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointing device that operates a GUI (Graphical User Interface), and more particularly to a pointing device that maintains high operability while improving portability by downsizing.

  In recent years, portable electronic devices such as notebook computers and tablet terminals have been miniaturized. One major factor is the progress of miniaturization of built-in electronic components as semiconductor technology advances. In portable electronic devices, since portability is an important factor for consumers to select products, manufacturers of portable electronic devices are trying to acquire customers by promoting miniaturization and weight reduction.

  While miniaturization of the portable electronic device main body is progressing, it is difficult to say that the IO (Input Output) device to be connected is sufficiently miniaturized. One reason for this is that each IO device has a minimum size necessary for fully exhibiting the main function of the IO device. If the main function is impaired by downsizing, the commercial value is greatly reduced. Therefore, it can be said that the downsizing of the IO device has a certain limit.

However, in some IO devices, even if the shape and size assumed by general consumers are removed, their main functions may not be reduced so much. For example, the pointing device described in Patent Document 1 removes the existing concept that “the mouse is vertically long and has an egg shape as a whole”, and “the mouse is horizontal, there is no problem.” A new concept is introduced.

JP 2008-293141 A

The pointing device described in Patent Document 1 is a pointing device that is used in a horizontal shape by making the vertical side of a conventional vertical mouse shorter than the horizontal side. In order to press a click button arranged on the top surface, It is necessary to bend the index finger and the middle finger greatly, and the operability is reduced with respect to the click operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a pointing device capable of miniaturization and maintaining higher operability.

The pointing device which is one embodiment of the present invention includes a rectangular bottom surface 101 having a long side length of 40 mm to 100 mm and a short side length of 10 mm to 40 mm, and a first short side of the bottom surface 101 A left side surface 103 standing substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface 101, a right side surface 104 standing substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface 101 on the second short side of the bottom surface 101, and a bottom surface The rear side surface 105 provided on the first long side of 101, the front side surface 106 provided on the second long side of the bottom surface 101, and the bottom surface 101 are substantially parallel to each other at an interval of 5 mm to 30 mm. And at least a housing 102. The pointing device includes a photosensor 112 that converts light into an electrical signal at a predetermined position on the front side surface 106 side, and determines whether or not a click operation has been performed based on at least the electrical signal obtained by the photosensor 112. An operation determination processing unit 1141 for determining, an operation information generation processing unit 1142 for generating click information when it is determined that a click operation has been performed, and a wireless transmission unit 115 for wirelessly transmitting at least the click information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly convenient pointing device that maintains high operability while being downsized.

1 is an external view of a pointing device according to a first embodiment. Six views of the pointing device according to the first embodiment Sectional drawing of the pointing device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a pointing device according to a first embodiment. The front view and left view in the state which is holding the pointing device which concerns on Embodiment 1. Graph showing the signal level detected by each photo sensor during left click operation in time series A graph showing the signal level detected by each photo sensor during a right-click operation in chronological order The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the judgment processing whether it is left click operation The flowchart figure which shows the flow of another determination process whether it is left click operation Another flowchart showing the flow of standby processing included in the determination processing of whether or not it is a left click operation The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the judgment processing whether it is right click operation The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the determination processing regarding the left click operation interlocked with the right click operation The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the determination processing regarding the left click operation interlocked with the right click operation FIG. 6 is an external view of a pointing device according to a modification according to the first embodiment. Six views of a pointing device of a modification according to the first embodiment The front view which represented typically the case where the pointing device of the modification which concerns on Embodiment 1 is operated with the right hand, and the case where it is operating with the left hand, respectively. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a pointing device according to a modification according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an external view of a pointing device according to a second modification example of the first embodiment. Six views of the pointing device of the second modification according to the first embodiment The front view which represented typically the case where the pointing device of the 2nd modification which concerns on Embodiment 1 is operated with the right hand, and the case where it is operating with the left hand, respectively. FIG. 6 is a six-sided view of a pointing device that is a pointing device according to the first modification and includes a changeover switch that indicates a hand to be used. Diagram explaining the sequence of another type of left click operation A graph showing the signal level detected by each photo sensor in the time series when another type of left-click operation is performed The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the judgment processing whether it is left click operation FIG. 6 is an external view of a pointing device according to a second modification example of the first embodiment. Six views of the pointing device of the second modification according to the first embodiment A graph showing the signal level detected by the first photosensor during a double-click operation in time series FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a click operation and a drag operation using the pointing device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a pointing device according to a second embodiment. Graph showing the signal level detected by each photo sensor during drag operation in time series The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the determination process which determines whether it is a drag operation The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the determination process which determines whether it is predetermined | prescribed operation with respect to a 1st button. The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the determination process which determines whether it is predetermined | prescribed operation with respect to a 1st button. External view of the pointing device of the modification which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. External view of the pointing device of the modification which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. External view of pointing device according to embodiment 3 FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a pointing device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating types of modes included in the pointing device according to the third embodiment. Left side view showing the device operating when the light source is on A graph showing the signal level detected by each photo sensor during left click operation in the light source lighting mode in time series The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the determination process which determines whether the left click operation was performed in light source lighting mode External view of a pointing device according to a modification of the third embodiment External view of the pointing device which concerns on the 2nd modification of Embodiment 3. FIG. The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the process which determines the present mode which concerns on Embodiment 3. The flowchart figure which shows the flow of the determination process of whether to light a light source External view of pointing device according to embodiment 4 Top view and perspective view of pointing device in projection of button area The perspective view of the pointing device which concerns on the modification of the state which has projected the button area | region The figure showing the computer which is displaying the pointing device and setting screen which concern on Embodiment 5. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a pointing device and a computer according to a fifth embodiment. A graph showing an example of an electric signal level obtained by a photosensor during a setting period in time series. Six views of a pointing device according to a sixth embodiment FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a pointing device according to a sixth embodiment. Left side view explaining the state of a pointing device that inputs a scroll operation by tilting Block diagram showing the configuration of a pointing device that inputs a scroll operation by tilting External view of pointing device according to another embodiment The flowchart figure which shows a part of flow of left click operation determination processing The flowchart figure which shows a part of flow of left click operation determination processing The flowchart figure which shows a part of flow of left click operation determination processing The flowchart figure which shows a part of another flow of left click operation determination processing The flowchart figure which shows a part of another flow of left click operation determination processing The flowchart figure which shows a part of flow of right click operation determination processing The flowchart figure which shows a part of flow of right click operation determination processing The flowchart figure which shows the flow of a drag operation determination process

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, parts denoted by the same reference numerals have substantially the same functions. For the sake of clarification of the invention, explanations of overlapping parts are omitted as appropriate.

(Embodiment 1)
1 and 2 respectively show an external view and a six-sided view of the pointing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The pointing device 100 according to the first embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing, and has six rectangular shapes including a bottom surface 101, an upper surface 102, a left side surface 103, a right side surface 104, a rear side surface 105, and a front side surface 106. At least. As will be described later, the upper surface 102 functions as a touch sensor.

The height Lz of the pointing device 100 is designed to be about 3 mm ≦ Lz ≦ 30 mm. More preferably, the height is preferably designed to be 6 mm ≦ Lz ≦ 20 mm, and the first embodiment will be described assuming that the height Lz of the pointing device 100 is 17 mm.

The length Lx in the longitudinal direction of the pointing device 100 is preferably designed to be 40 mm ≦ Lx ≦ 100 mm, more preferably 50 mm ≦ Lx ≦ 80 mm. The first embodiment will be described assuming that the length Lx in the longitudinal direction is designed to be 60 mm.

The length Ly in the short direction of the pointing device 100 is preferably designed to be 4 mm ≦ Ly <40 mm, and more preferably 10 mm ≦ Ly ≦ 25 mm. In the first embodiment, description will be made assuming that the length Ly in the short direction is designed to be 15 mm.

The pointing device 100 has both longitudinal surfaces, that is, the left side surface 103 and the right side surface 104 in FIG. 1 as gripping surfaces, and the user sandwiches these two gripping surfaces from both sides with the thumb and ring finger or thumb and little finger. The pointing device 100 is operated with the body held.

An optical reading opening 107 is provided near the center of the bottom surface 101, that is, in a region including the intersection of two diagonal lines on the bottom surface. The light taken in from the opening 107 is used for detecting the movement direction and the movement distance of the device body in a movement detection unit described later. In addition, a power switch 108 for turning on / off the power of the pointing device 100 is provided on the bottom surface 101. By turning on the power switch 108, a battery (battery) disposed in the pointing device 100 and each unit are energized, and power is supplied to each unit. The power switch 108 may be arranged on the side surface 103 to the side surface 106. Further, when charging is performed by magnetic field resonance using a coil or the like, the electrical terminal 109 is not necessary, and a coil or the like is disposed in the pointing device 100 instead.

On the rear side surface 105, an electrical terminal (connector) 109 that is connected to an external computer with a cable and used for communication with the external computer and charging of a battery disposed inside the device is disposed. As the electrical terminal 109, for example, a USB terminal (Universal Serial Bus) terminal or a FireWire terminal is preferable because charging and communication can be performed simultaneously. The electric terminal 109 may be arranged on the front side surface 106, the left side surface 103, and the right side surface 104 instead of the rear side surface 105. However, since the left side surface 103 and the right side surface 104 are used as grip surfaces, it is preferable that the left side surface 103 and the right side surface 104 are disposed on the rear side surface 105 and the front side surface 106 so as not to interfere with the operation.

The front side surface 106 is provided with a first opening 110a and a second opening 110b for light detection. The openings 110a and 110b are openings used to detect a left click operation and a right click operation from the user in a non-contact manner, respectively, and a photo sensor is disposed behind the openings. Note that the openings 110a and 110b do not need to be physical holes, and may be openings for optical reading. For example, in a housing made of a translucent resin, the openings 110a and 110b can be formed by forming the opening with a transparent resin that allows light to pass through.

The 1st opening 110a and the 2nd opening 110b are arrange | positioned at predetermined intervals at substantially the same height, respectively. As will be described later, it is preferable that the openings 110 a and 110 b are disposed at a position below the center height of the front side surface 106. Further, the openings 110a and 110b are disposed at positions shifted in the direction of the right side surface 104 on the front side surface 106. Accordingly, the openings 110a and 110b are arranged in an asymmetric positional relationship in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the front side surface 106, respectively.

Specifically, the first opening 110a of the pointing device 100 according to the first embodiment has a height of 1 mm <Za ≦ 10 mm, more preferably 3 mm ≦ Za ≦ 8 mm from the long side on the bottom surface 101 side on the front side surface 106. It is Za and it is preferable that it is an opening centering on the position Xa of 25 mm <= Xa <= 60mm from the right side surface 104, More preferably, 30 mm <= Xa <= 40mm. The second opening 110b has a height Zb of 1 mm <Zb ≦ 10 mm, more preferably 3 mm ≦ Zb ≦ 8 mm from the long side on the bottom surface 101 side on the front side surface 106, and 0 mm <Xb ≦ 25 mm from the right side surface 104. More preferably, the opening is centered at a position of 10 mm ≦ Xb ≦ 20 mm.

If the openings 110a and 110b are provided at a position that is too high from the bottom surface 101, it is necessary to lift the finger greatly in order to perform a click operation by removing the finger from the front of the opening, which causes a problem of fatigue. On the other hand, if the bottom surface 101 is disposed at a position that is too close to each other, when the pointing device 100 is moved to change the place where the pointing device 100 is lifted and operated, the index finger or the middle finger is lifted, and the openings 110a and 110b are lifted. This is because there is a possibility that a click operation will be detected by accidental disconnection. Therefore, it is preferable that the heights of the openings 110a and 110b be arranged at positions of 1 mm <Za and Zb ≦ 10 mm, more preferably 3 mm ≦ Za and Zb ≦ 8 mm from the bottom surface 101. In the pointing device 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, openings 110a and 110b having a width of 1 mm and a length of 3 mm centered on a height of 5 mm from the bottom surface 101 are arranged.

From the viewpoint of ergonomics, the index finger has a wider range of motion than the middle finger and can be easily lifted, whereas it is not possible to lift only the middle finger while holding the right side of the pointing device 100 with the ring finger. Have difficulty. Therefore, the opening 110a may be arranged at a position relatively higher than the opening 110b. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce erroneous operation detection.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of each component arranged inside the housing of the pointing device 100. In the pointing device 100, a movement detection unit 111, a first photo sensor 112a and a second photo sensor 112b, an information processing unit 114, a touch sensor 114, a wireless communication unit 115, and a battery 116 are arranged. Yes.

The battery 116 supplies electric power to each unit arranged in the pointing device 100. The battery 116 is a rechargeable secondary battery, and is charged when connected to an external power supply via the electrical terminal 109.

The movement detection unit 111 is a unit that detects movement of the pointing device 100 main body. The movement detection unit 111 includes a light source lamp 111a, a lens 111b, an image sensor 111c, and an image information processor (DSP: Digital Signal Processor) 111d.

The light source lamp 111a is a light emitter such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). Light emitted from the light source lamp 111 a illuminates a contact surface such as a desk on which the pointing device 100 is placed through an opening 107 provided in the bottom surface 101. Note that the opening 107 is an opening for allowing the light to pass therethrough, and it is not necessary that a physical opening is provided in the bottom surface 101, and a transparent portion or the like provided in a resin constituting the bottom surface 101 is provided in the opening 107. Applicable.

The lens 111b collects the reflected light from the contact surface such as a desk irradiated by the light source lamp 111a. The image sensor 111c is a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The reflected light collected by the lens 111b is detected by a matrix array of elements and converted into electric charges. By doing so, the two-dimensional image data of the contact surface is acquired.

The DSP 111d calculates the movement vector of the pointing device 100 by performing a process of comparing the two-dimensional image data acquired by the image sensor 111c in time series, and outputs the calculated movement vector to the information processing unit 114.

The first photo sensor 112a and the second photo sensor 112b are disposed behind the first openings 110a and 110b provided on the front side surface 106, respectively. The first photosensor 112a and the second photosensor 112b convert light incident from the first opening 110a and the second opening 110b, respectively, into an electrical signal by a photoelectric effect. Analog electrical signals obtained by the photosensors 112a and 112b are converted into digital signals at predetermined time intervals and sent to the information processing unit 114.

The touch sensor 113 is disposed on the upper surface 102 and detects a touch operation from the user. As the touch sensor 113, various sensor methods such as a resistive film method, a capacitance method, an optical method, and an ultrasonic method can be used.

The resistive touch sensor has a structure in which a film on which a transparent electrode film is formed and glass are bonded together using a dot spacer in a state of being separated by a predetermined distance. Contact and current flows. The position pressed by the user is detected by detecting the current. Capacitive touch sensor is a change in electrostatic capacitance caused by touching with a finger while applying an electric field to the entire panel surface by applying a voltage to the drive electrode installed on the back of the front panel, which is a dielectric. By detecting this, the position touched by the user is detected.

In the first embodiment, the touch sensor 113 is described as being a projection capacitive type. The touch sensor 113 has a structure in which a protective cover that constitutes the upper surface 102, an electrode pattern layer, and a glass substrate are laminated, and each of the capacitances generated in the transparent electrode pattern layer in the xy direction included in the electrode pattern layer. Detect changes. A change in voltage detected by the electrodes arranged in the electrode pattern layer is converted into a digital signal by an AD converter, and the converted digital signal is output to the information processing unit 114 as a detection result in the touch sensor 113. The touch sensor 113 is used for inputting a scroll operation.

The information processing unit 114 receives signals from other units and performs predetermined information processing. The information processing unit 114 includes at least a processor 114a, a ROM 114b, and a RAM 114c. The processor 114a receives various types of information output from other units, performs predetermined processing according to a program stored in the ROM 114b, and outputs the processed information to the other units. The RAM 114c is a memory that temporarily stores programs and data necessary for processing performed by the processor 114a.

The processor 114a receives the movement vector output from the DSP 111d of the movement detection unit 111. The processor 114a generates movement information based on the movement vector and outputs the movement information to the wireless communication unit 115. The movement information includes information related to the movement direction and movement amount of the device body detected by the movement detection unit 111.

In addition, the processor 114a inputs a signal that is a detection result of the photo sensor 112 or the touch sensor 113, and determines whether a predetermined operation from the user is input. When it is determined that a predetermined operation has been input, message information corresponding to the operation is generated and output to the light source unit 114 and the wireless communication unit 115.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing unit 114. The information processing unit 114 includes an operation determination processing unit 1141 that determines whether a predetermined operation has been input, and an operation information generation processing unit 1142 that generates operation information according to the operation determined by the operation determination processing unit 1141. Prepare. The operation information generation processing unit 1142 generates, as operation information, a packet including information indicating an operation performed on the device 100 by the user, and the generated operation information is transmitted to the wireless communication unit 115. Output.

The operation determination processing unit 1141 includes a first click operation determination processing unit 1141a, a second click operation determination processing unit 1141b, and a scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c.

The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether or not the first click operation has been performed based on at least an electrical signal obtained by the first photosensor 112a. Here, the first click operation corresponds to a so-called left click. The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a reads the left click operation performed by the user with the index finger from the change in the signal level in the first photosensor 112a.

The second click operation determination processing unit 1141b determines whether or not the second click operation has been performed based on at least an electric signal obtained by the second photosensor 112b. Here, the second click operation corresponds to a so-called right click. The second click operation determination processing unit 1141b reads the right click operation performed by the user with the middle finger from the change in the signal level in the second photosensor 112b.

The scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c determines whether a scroll operation has been performed based on at least an electric signal obtained by the touch sensor 113. The scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c moves in the moving direction when the contact area sensed by the touch sensor 113 has moved over a predetermined distance in the y direction, that is, the short direction on the upper surface 102 for a predetermined period. It is determined that a scroll operation has been performed.

The operation information generation processing unit 1142 includes a first click information generation processing unit 1142a, a second click information generation processing unit 1142b, a scroll information generation processing unit 1142c, and a movement information generation processing unit 1142d.

The first click information generation processing unit 1142a presses the left click button when it is determined that the first click operation is performed by the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a, that is, the left click button is pressed. 1st click information which shows that is produced | generated.

The second click information generation processing unit 1142b presses the right click button when it is determined that the second click operation is performed by the second click operation determination processing unit 1141b, that is, the right click button is pressed. Second click information indicating that this is generated.

When the scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c determines that the scroll operation has been performed, the scroll information generation processing unit 1142c generates scroll information including the scroll direction and the scroll amount (scroll speed).

When the movement detection unit 111 detects the movement of the device, the movement information generation processing unit 1142d generates movement information including a movement direction and a movement amount related to the movement.

The wireless communication unit 115 wirelessly transmits each operation information generated by the operation information generation processing unit 1142 to an external computer or a wireless communication receiver connected to the external computer.

The operation information wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication unit 115 is converted into a corresponding message in the computer and passed to the application. For example, the first click information is converted into a WM_LBUTTONDOWN message and a WM_LBUTTONUP message, the second click information is converted into a WM_RBUTTONDOWN message and a WM_RBUTTONUP message, scroll information is converted into a WM_MOUSEWHEEL message, and movement information is converted into a WM_MOUSEMOVE message. It is.

Next, the determination method in the first click determination processing unit 1141a will be described in detail. FIG. 5 shows a front view and a left side view of the state in which the pointing device 100 is gripped. As an initial position where no button operation or the like is performed (normal position), the left side surface 103 of the device is supported by the thumb, the right side surface 104 of the device is supported by the ring finger, and the index finger and middle finger performing the button operation are arranged on the front side surface 106 of the device. The fingertip is placed in front of the desk. Compared to the case where the index finger and the middle finger are placed on the upper surface 102 of the device, the pointing device 100 can be held in a natural state without having to bend the finger unnaturally because the finger is not bent unnaturally. It is possible to hold it with less fatigue.

As can be seen from FIG. 5, in the natural state, the index finger and the middle finger cover the openings 110a and 110b arranged on the front side surface 106, respectively, so that they are arranged behind the openings 110a and 110b. The amount of light detected by the existing photosensors 112a and 112b is smaller than that in the state where the device 100 is not gripped. That is, the electric signal level obtained by the photosensors 112a and 112b is lower than that in the free state. However, since the finger is not in contact with the front side surface 106 and the openings 110a and 110b are not completely obscured, a small amount of light is incident on the openings 110a and 110b from an oblique direction or the like, and a certain level of electric signal is generated. Is obtained by the photosensors 112a and 112b.

Here, a change in the electric signal level detected by the photosensor 112a when the click operation is performed will be described. A normal click operation is an operation of pressing a button with a finger. In the device 100 of the present invention, since no mechanical button is arranged, a click operation is performed when the user performs an operation similar to a normal button pressing operation.

The operation of pressing the button is an operation of pulling up a finger located on the button and lowering it toward the button. Therefore, when the user wants to perform a click operation, the user performs a click input by lifting the finger once, shaking the finger within a predetermined time, and hitting the desk in front of the device 100.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the movement of the finger when the user performs the left click operation and the change in the amount of light detected by the photosensors 112a and 112b in time series. In the graph, the threshold value ThH (Th_High) indicates the electric signal level (light quantity) detected by the most incident light in the photosensors 112a and 112b without any light blocking near the opening. The threshold ThM (Th_Middle) is an electric signal level (light quantity) that serves as a reference when determining whether or not the finger positioned at the normal position in front of the openings 110a and 110b is pulled up for a click operation. Is shown. The threshold value ThL (Th_Low) indicates an electric signal level when it is determined that the openings 110a and 110b are completely covered.

In FIG. 6, the interval from tk to tk + 1 on the time axis is 0.05 seconds (50 ms), and the photosensors 112a and 112b take in the electric signal level every 0.05 seconds and use an AD converter for 1 byte. Are converted to 256-stage digital signals, and then output to the processor 114a of the information processing unit 114, which stores the photosensor storage area in the RAM 114c. Here, a 10-byte capacity for storing a signal of 10 timings (tk to tk + 10), that is, 0.5 seconds (500 ms) is secured for each photosensor as an area for storing the photosensor. The digital signal indicating the level of the electric signal sent is overwritten sequentially on the older data. Since the pointing device 100 has two photosensors, a storage capacity for a total of 20 bytes is secured as a photosensor storage area.

In the normal position, since both the index finger and the middle finger are located in front of the openings 110a and 110b, a part of the light directed to these openings is blocked (between t0 and t3). Therefore, the electric signal levels Xa and Xb in the photosensors 112a and 112b arranged behind the openings 110a and 110b are both ThL <Xa and Xb <ThM. The reason for exceeding ThL is that the finger does not completely close the opening. Moreover, the reason why it falls below ThM is that the finger covers the opening. The electric signal level fluctuates due to a change in the light irradiation environment due to movement of the pointing device 100 or the like.

Here, when the user tries to perform a left click operation, the user pulls up the index finger, so that light begins to enter the opening 110a from below the opening 110a, and the electric signal level in the photosensor 112a continuously increases. (Between t3 and t4). During this time, the electric signal level Xa in the photosensor 112a is ThM <Xa. Since the index finger is lifted, there is light incident on the opening 110b obliquely from the index finger side, so the electric signal level in the photosensor 112b slightly increases, but the presence of the middle finger in front of the opening 110b. The electric signal level Xb is ThL <Xb <ThM.

From the time when the opening 110a is completely exposed, the user further raises the finger, and until the finger is returned to the original position, the opening 110a is not shielded by the index finger. Level Xa maintains ThM <Xa. Also during this period, the electric signal level Xb in the photosensor 112b is ThL <Xb <ThM (between t4 and t10).

The electrical signal level Xa of the photosensor 112a returns to ThL <Xa <ThM by returning to the normal position where the index finger is swung down and touching the desk in front of the device (after T10, the next click operation is performed) Until you are). Xb remains as ThL <Xb <ThM.

The graph shown in FIG. 6 is an electric signal level obtained by the photosensor in a typical left click operation. FIG. 7 shows the transition of the electric signal level obtained by the photosensors 112a and 112b when the right click operation is performed. FIG. 7 is omitted because FIG. 6 is replaced with the finger and the graphs of the photosensor 112a and the photosensor 112b are replaced. Note that the threshold value used in the left click determination and the threshold value used in the right click determination may be different in numerical values.

Next, a determination method of the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the click determination method in the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a.

The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a inputs, from the photosensor 112a, data indicating the electrical signal level at the timing tk-1 that is a predetermined timing from the photosensor 112a (step S101), and in the storage unit (RAM114c). The data is stored in the storage area for the photosensor 112a (step S102). Since the storage area has a limited capacity, the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a overwrites the data by storing it at the address where the oldest data is stored among the data stored in the storage area. .

The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a reads data indicating the electric signal level at the photosensor 112a at the previous timing tk-2 from the storage unit, and compares the data with the electric signal level at the timing tk-1 input this time. Perform (S103). The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether the change amount (increase amount) of the electrical signal level exceeds a predetermined reference value as a result of the comparison processing (S104). As a result of the determination, if there is no change beyond the predetermined reference value, it is determined that there is no possibility of a click operation, and the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if there is a change greater than the predetermined reference value, it is determined that the user may have entered a click operation, and the process proceeds to subsequent step S105.

Similarly to step S101, the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a inputs data indicating the electric signal level at the timing tk, which is the next timing, from the photosensor 112a (step S105), and the storage unit ( The data is stored in the storage area for the photosensor 112a in the RAM 114c) (step S106).

Next, the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether the electrical signal level at tk, which is the current timing, exceeds a predetermined threshold ThM (step S107). As a result of the determination, if the electrical signal level at the timing tk does not exceed the threshold ThM, the index finger in front of the opening 110a remains covering the opening 110a, and it is assumed that no click operation has been performed. Return to. On the other hand, if the threshold value ThM is exceeded, it is determined that the possibility that the user has entered the click operation continues, and the process proceeds to the subsequent step S108.

Even if the electrical signal level increases above the predetermined reference value in step S104, the change is caused by a change in the external irradiation environment due to the movement of the device itself or a change in the amount of incident light due to the user's index finger moving back and forth. There is a possibility. In order not to misidentify this possibility as a click operation, whether or not there is a possibility of a click operation is additionally determined by the second determination in step S107.

Note that the reason for the determination after waiting for one timing in steps S105 and S106 after step S104 is not continuously shifted to the determination in step S107 is that the click operation is just started and the finger is lifted at timing tk-1. At first, although the light incident on the opening 110a increases, there is a possibility that the index finger is not completely lifted and does not exceed the threshold ThM. Therefore, after waiting for one timing, the threshold ThM is compared with the signal level. I do. In the above example, since 0.1 second has elapsed between tk−2 and tk, and the index finger covering the opening 110a is sufficiently raised, it is compared with the threshold ThM at the timing at the time tk. Make a decision. Note that the standby timing does not have to be one timing, and may be configured to wait for two to three timings. In addition, depending on the interval of one timing, whether to perform the standby or how many times to wait changes.

When the electric signal level exceeds the threshold ThM in step S107, the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a sets the index ix = 1 in the counter (step S108), and then performs the next timing similarly to steps S101 and S102. The electrical signal level data at tk + ix is input from the photosensor 112a (step S109) and stored in the storage unit (step S110).

Next, the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether the electrical signal level at the timing of tk + ix is lower than the threshold ThM (step S111). If it is below the threshold ThM, it is assumed that the amount of light detected by the photosensor 112a has decreased due to the finger lifted up for the click operation being shaken off and blocking the front of the opening 110a again. It determines with operation | movement having been performed, the said determination result is sent to the 1st click information generation process part 1142a, and it returns to step S101 (step S114). The first click information generation processing unit 1142a that has obtained the determination result generates a first click information packet indicating that the left click has been performed, outputs the first click information packet to the wireless communication unit 115, and wirelessly transmits from the wireless communication unit 115. Then, processing based on the first click information is performed by the external computer.

On the other hand, if the threshold value ThM is not less than the threshold value ThM in step S111, it is assumed that the opening 110a is still exposed without a shielding object, and the process is continued. Specifically, the index ix is incremented by 1 (step S112), and it is determined whether the value of the index ix exceeds 10 (step S113). When the value of the index ix exceeds 10, that is, when the current timing is tk + 10, it indicates that 0.6 seconds or more have elapsed since the timing tk-2 at which the index finger started to be lifted. It is determined that the increase in the electric signal level in the photosensor 112a is not due to the click operation, and the series of processes is terminated, and the process returns to step S101.

On the other hand, if the value of the index ix does not exceed 10, it is possible that the finger is still being lifted during the click operation, and the process returns to step S109 and continues.

When the processor 115a in the information processing unit 115 performs the determination process, it can be determined whether the left click operation has been performed from the electric signal level obtained by the photosensor 112a.

A general click operation is completed between 0.2 seconds and 0.6 seconds after the finger is lifted. For 0.2 seconds, the second click of the double click, etc., is clicked in the short time, and the first click is performed from 0.4 to 0.6 seconds from raising the finger to dropping it off. . By performing the above determination processing for these operations, it is possible to determine whether the operation is a click operation or another operation, and it is possible to appropriately receive an operation intended by the user and send it to the computer.

Note that the above-described determination processing method is an example, and an algorithm that determines whether the click operation is more precise by adding other processing may be adopted. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, it is more preferable to provide a standby step S107a that waits for p timing (for example, 1 to 4 timing, preferably 2 timing) between steps S107 to S108. As described above, the click operation requires about 0.2 seconds no matter how fast the input is performed. Therefore, no matter how quickly the finger is swung down after raising the index finger, it takes 0.2 seconds or more for the electric signal level to fall below ThM in the click operation. In the case where noise or the like or strong reflected light from an oblique direction is incident, the determinations in steps S104 and S107 may be passed, but malfunction can be avoided by sandwiching the standby step.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of specific processing in the standby step S107a. The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a sets the value of index iy = 1 to the counter (step S107-1). Next, as in steps S101 and S102, data indicating an electrical level signal at timing tk + iy (in this stage, tk + 1) is input from the photosensor 112a (step S107-2), and the data is stored in the storage unit (step S107- 3).

Next, the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether the electrical signal level at the current timing tk + iy is below a predetermined threshold ThM (step S107-4). As a result of the determination, when the threshold value ThM is below the threshold ThM during the waiting period, the increase in the electric signal level at the timing tk is not an increase caused by raising the index finger to perform a click operation, but an increase caused by other factors. If it is determined that the click operation is not performed, the process returns to step S101.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S107-4 is that the electrical signal level exceeds the threshold value ThM, the possibility of a click operation remains, and the current index iy value is greater than or equal to the value of the standby period p. It is determined whether or not there is (step S107-5). As a result of the determination, if the current index iy value is less than p, the counter (index iy) value is incremented by one (step S107-6), and the process returns to step S107-2.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S107-5 is that the current index iy value is greater than or equal to the value of the standby period p, the process proceeds to step S108 assuming that the standby period has elapsed.

After the index ix = 1 is set in the second counter in step S108, in step S109a, data indicating the electric signal level in the photosensor 112a at the current timing tk + p + ix is input from the photosensor 112a. In step S110, the data Store the data in the storage unit. The following flow is the same as that in FIG.

Note that the determination process in the right click is basically the same as the determination process described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the determination method in the second click operation determination processing unit 1141b. The flowchart of FIG. 11 is substantially the same as the flowchart of FIG. 8 except that the input source photo sensor is the photo sensor 112b, and thus detailed description of each step is omitted.

In addition, it is preferable that the click operation or the scroll operation performed by the user is stored in the storage unit as a history in order to improve the operation detection accuracy by using for other determination processes. Therefore, after steps S114 and S214 shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 11, respectively, an event in which a left click action or a right click action is detected is stored in the storage unit in a state associated with the detection timing. It is preferable to do.

However, the standby period q in step S207a and the standby period in step S213 are different from the standby period p in step S107a and the standby period in step S113 shown in FIG. This is because the right click operation with the middle finger takes longer time than the left click operation with the index finger.

The human hand has a higher degree of freedom of movement with respect to the index finger than that of movement with respect to the middle finger. Therefore, the left click operation with the index finger can be sufficiently performed in about 0.2 seconds to 0.6 seconds, while the right click operation with the middle finger takes a relatively long time of about 0.3 seconds to 1 second. Cost. In this way, the standby period is set to be relatively long, taking into account the ergonomic viewpoint that it takes a relatively long time from when the user starts to lift the middle finger to perform a right click operation and then swings it down again. In addition, it is more preferable that the process of determining the threshold value ThM is performed in step S207 after the processes of steps S205 and S206 are further repeated several times.

Note that it is relatively difficult to move the middle finger independently, and the index finger may move in conjunction with the middle finger being pulled up or down. In this case, there is a possibility that the left click operation is detected according to the flow of FIG. 9 almost simultaneously with the detection of the right click operation according to the flow of FIG.

In this case, it is preferable that the input operation intended by the user is a right click operation, and the left click operation with the index finger is handled as a false detection. Therefore, the determination process in the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a is more preferably configured as shown in FIG. In FIG. 12, steps S101 to S110 are the same as those in FIG.

If it is determined in step S111 that the level signal at the current timing (tk + ix) is below the threshold ThM, the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a refers to, for example, an operation history stored in the storage unit, or the like. Alternatively, referring to the progress status of the right click determination processing performed by the second click operation determination processing unit 1141b in parallel, the time tk + ix before and after the current timing tk + ix, that is, from the timing tk + ix−h to the timing tk + ix It is confirmed and determined whether or not it is determined in step S214 that a right click operation has been performed (step S111-1). The period h is preferably set to, for example, 1 to 4 timings, more preferably 2 to 3 timings. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the right click operation is performed within the period, the operation similar to the left click detected in the process is not intended by the user, and the right click operation is not performed. Returning to step S101, it is assumed that the operation is an erroneous operation caused by the interlocking of the finger to be performed.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S111-1 is that it is not determined that a right-click operation has been performed within that period, the value of index iz = 1 is set in the counter (step S111-2), and the next timing tk + ix + iz It is determined whether or not it is determined that a right click operation has been performed (step S111-3). As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the right click operation has been performed at the timing, the process returns to step S101 as an erroneous operation caused by the finger interlocking to perform the right click operation.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S111-3 that the right-click operation has not been performed, the counter value is incremented by one (step S111-4) and stored in the counter after the increment. It is determined whether the value of the index iz exceeds the reference value (period) g (step S111-5). As a result of the determination, if the value of the index iz does not exceed g, the process returns to step S111-3. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the value of the index iz exceeds g (for example, 1 to 3 timings), the result of a series of determinations from step S101 to step S111-5 is a left click operation, and step S114 is performed. Proceed to

In this way, even if it is considered that the left click operation has been detected at the timing tk + ix in step S111, the possibility of a false detection caused by the erroneous interlocking of the index finger when performing the right click operation is eliminated. Therefore, step S111-1 to step S111-5 are additionally added.

When a right click operation is detected before and after the timing tk + ix when the left click operation is detected, it is determined that the right click operation is an operation intended by the user, and the detected left click operation is processed as a false detection. Thus, it is possible to detect a click operation with high accuracy in consideration of ergonomics.

When steps S111-2 to S111-5 are performed, even if a left click is detected in step S111, it is necessary to wait for the period g to be confirmed, and the left click operation intended by the user is performed. Even so, the response is dropped due to the processing. Even if the index finger is interlocked with the middle finger, the human middle finger is longer than the index finger, so the right click operation detected based on the electrical signal level obtained by the photosensor 112b is more suitable for the electrical signal level obtained by the photosensor 112a. Usually, it is detected earlier than the left click operation detected based on. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, a configuration in which only step S111-1 is provided as a determination step for eliminating erroneous detection due to finger interlocking is more preferable. Even in this configuration, it is possible to eliminate erroneous detection due to finger interlocking, and it is possible to realize a high response since the waiting after the left click operation is detected in step S111 is unnecessary. Note that it is not from an ergonomic point of view that the middle finger is interlocked when the index finger is moved. Therefore, it is preferable not to arrange a step corresponding to step S111-1 or the like subsequent to S211.

Next, the scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c will be described. The scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c determines whether a scroll operation has been performed based on a signal sent from the touch panel 113. The scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c obtains a position where the user is in contact based on a signal sent from the touch panel 113, and stores the position data in the storage unit. Next, the scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c determines whether the position in contact with the user is moving in the y direction, that is, the short direction on the upper surface 102. As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the movement is in the short direction, the scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c calculates the scroll operation direction and the scroll amount from the change direction and change distance of the contact position, and generates scroll information. The data is sent to the processing unit 1142c.

When the scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c determines that the scroll operation has been performed, the scroll information generation processing unit 1142c generates a packet using the scroll information including the scroll direction and the scroll amount (scroll speed) as a payload, and wirelessly generates the packet. Output to the communication unit 115. Further, the movement information generation processing unit 1142d generates a packet having the movement information including the movement direction and the movement amount as a payload based on the movement of the device detected by the movement detection unit 111, and outputs the packet to the wireless communication unit 115. To do.

The wireless communication unit 115 modulates a packet corresponding to each operation generated by the operation information generation processing unit 1142 according to a predetermined wireless communication method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), wireless LAN, infrared communication, etc., and puts it on a carrier wave. Wireless transmission.

As described above, the pointing device 100 according to the first embodiment includes the rectangular bottom surface 101 having a long side length of 40 mm to 100 mm and a short side length of 10 mm to 40 mm, and the first bottom surface 101. A left side surface 103 standing substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface 101 on one short side and a right side standing substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface 101 on the second short side of the bottom surface 101 The surface 104, the rear side surface 105 provided on the first long side of the bottom surface 101, the front side surface 106 provided on the second long side of the bottom surface 101, and the distance between the bottom surface 101 and 5 to 30 mm. And an upper surface 102 facing substantially parallel to each other at least as a casing. The pointing device 100 includes a photosensor 112 that converts light into an electrical signal at a predetermined position on the front side surface 106 side, and a click operation that determines whether a click operation has been performed based on the electrical signal obtained by the photosensor 112 Determination processing units 1141a and 1141b, click information generation processing units 1142a and 1142b that generate click information when it is determined that the click operation has been performed, and a wireless transmission unit (wireless transmission unit) that wirelessly transmits at least the click information 115).

With this configuration, the user can place the finger in front of the front side surface 106 with the finger used for the click operation instead of the upper surface 102 as the normal position (the position of the finger during the non-click operation). The amount of bending backward is reduced, and finger fatigue during use can be reduced.

More specifically, the front side surface 106 is provided with a first opening 110a and a second opening 110b for collecting light from the outside, and photosensors 112a and 112b are arranged at the back of the openings 110a and 110b. Has been.

The first photosensor 112a is a solid element that converts light disposed at the first position on the front side surface 106 side into an electrical signal, and the second photosensor 112b is light disposed at the second position on the front side surface 106 side. Is a solid-state element that converts the signal into an electric signal. For example, a photodiode can be used.

The first opening 110a is located at a position of 1 mm <Za ≦ 10 mm from the long side on the bottom surface 101 side on the front side surface 106, and is centered at a position of 25 mm ≦ Xa ≦ 60 mm, more preferably 30 mm ≦ Xa ≦ 40 mm from the right side surface 104. It is preferable that the opening is Further, the second opening 110b is a position of 1 mm <Zb ≦ 10 mm from the long side on the bottom surface 101 side on the front side surface 106 and a position of 0 mm <Xb <25 mm, more preferably 10 mm ≦ Xb ≦ 20 mm from the right side surface 104. It is preferable that the opening is centered on.

The sizes of the openings 110a and 110b can take various shapes such as a pinhole with a diameter of about 1 mm to a rectangle with a size of several mm, but the back photosensor can detect light and is unnecessary. The pointing device 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided with an opening which is a vertically long rectangle having a width of 1 mm to 2 mm and a length of 1 mm to 5 mm.

The first click determination processing unit 1141a determines whether a left click operation has been performed based on the electrical signal obtained by the first photosensor 112a. The second click determination processing unit 1141b determines whether a right click operation has been performed based on the electrical signal obtained by the second photosensor 112b. The determination process can be realized by cooperation of hardware and software by causing a predetermined determination program to be executed by an information processing processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

The pointing device 100 further includes a storage unit that stores electrical signals obtained by the photosensors 112a and 112b at predetermined intervals, and the click determination processing units 1141a and 1141b respectively have electrical signal levels obtained by the photosensors 112a and 112b. After the transition from the first level band to the second level band, it is determined that the click operation has been performed when returning to the first level band within a predetermined period. Here, the first level band is a threshold value ThL or more and less than ThM, and the second level band is a threshold value ThM or more. In order to increase the detection accuracy of the click operation, it is determined that the click operation has been performed when the first level belt is returned to the first level belt within a predetermined period after the transition from the first level belt to the second level belt. Is preferred. In addition, by incorporating the various determination processes described with reference to FIGS.

In the above description, the user is assumed to be right-handed. However, when the user is left-handed, the opening and the photosensor are arranged at the above-described positions, and the user is far from the position of the finger performing the click operation. Therefore, the click operation cannot be detected properly. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, four openings 110a-1, 110b-1, 110a-2, and 110b-2 are provided in a symmetrical manner on the front side surface 106, and four photosensors are provided behind them. It is good also as a structure which each arranges.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 16, when the right-handed user uses, the openings 110a-2 and 110b-2 are not shielded by the finger and can collect more light than the other, and conversely, the left-handed user Is used, the openings 110a-1 and 110b-1 are not shielded by the finger, and more light can be collected compared to the other. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, it is more preferable to newly include a dominant arm determination processing unit (mode determination unit) 1143.

The mode determination unit 1143 compares the signal levels of the signals obtained by the photosensors 112a-1, 112b-1, 112a-2, and 112b-2 respectively arranged on the back side of the four openings so that the user can It is determined whether the pointing device 100 is operated with the arm of the user, that is, whether it is the left-handed mode or the right-handed mode. For example, the mode determination unit 1143 compares the electrical level signals obtained by 112b-1 and 112b-2 respectively shielded by the middle finger, and the electrical signal level of 112b-1 is greater than the electrical signal level of 112b-2 The left-handed and the right-handed in the opposite case, the mode is determined. Another method is to compare the average value of the electric signal levels in the photosensors 112a-1 and 112b-1 with the average value of the electric signal level in the photosensors 112a-2 and 112b-2, and similarly in the mode. May be determined. The setting value of the mode determined by the mode determination unit 1143 is stored in the storage unit, and is referred to in the click determination process in the operation determination processing unit 1141.

For example, when the mode determined by the mode determination unit 1143 is the right-handed mode, the click operation determination is performed based on the electrical level signals obtained by the photosensors 112a-1 and 112b-1, whereas the left-handed mode is used. When it is determined that there is a click operation, the click operation is determined based on the electrical level signal obtained by the photosensors 112a-2 and 112b-2.

With this configuration, it is possible to handle both left-handed and right-handed users with one device. Further, it is more preferable that the mode determination unit 1143 is configured to set the threshold value ThM used for the click operation determination based on the electric signal level obtained by each photosensor. For example, since the amount of incident light changes when the opening is exposed by pulling up a finger according to the irradiation environment in the external environment, the value of the threshold ThM is preferably set according to the irradiation environment.

Normally, when the pointing device 100 is used at a desk or the like, the amount of light irradiation is not significantly different between the left side and the right side of the front side surface 106 of the pointing device 100. Therefore, based on the electrical signal level obtained by the photosensor on the side that is not used for the determination of the click operation, that is, the electrical signal level at the photosensor that is detected by being incident on the opening not shielded by the finger, It is preferable that the threshold ThM used for the click operation determination process performed based on the electrical level signal obtained by the photosensor is set because the detection accuracy of the click operation is further increased.

Note that a photosensor as a probe for examining the external environment is arranged on another side surface, and the threshold ThM is determined based on the electric signal level obtained by the photosensor arranged on the other side surface. It is also possible. In this case, it is preferable to take an average of the electric signal levels obtained by a plurality of photosensors and determine the average based on the average value because an external light irradiation state can be appropriately grasped.

Note that the arrangement method of the openings 110 in the right / left handed pointing device 100 is not limited to the arrangement method illustrated in FIGS. 14 to 16, and may be the arrangement method illustrated in FIGS. 18 to 20, for example. . In this case, the opening 110a for detecting the left click operation is preferably left-handed and right-handed and arranged at a predetermined position below the bottom surface 101 side in the longitudinal center of the front side surface 106. In this case, as shown in FIG. 20, the user of either dominant arm is the position where the left click detection opening 110a arranged near the center in the longitudinal direction is covered with the index finger. It is possible to detect the click operation with the same accuracy while reducing the number. The pointing device 100 in FIGS. 18 to 20 has a length in the longitudinal direction of 50 mm to 70 mm, and the first opening 110 a is the center in the longitudinal direction and is centered between 2 mm to 12 mm from the bottom surface 101 side. It is an opening with. The second openings 110b-1 and 110b-2 are openings having a center between 2 mm to 12 mm from the bottom surface side and between 10 mm to 20 mm from the left side surface 103 and the right side surface 104, respectively.

Note that a changeover switch 118 for switching the user's dominant arm may be disposed on the bottom surface 101 as shown in FIG. By the switching setting in the changeover switch, the operation determination processing unit 1141 can be configured to switch the photo sensor used for the determination of the click operation. In this case, the mode determination unit 1143 may be omitted.

Further, in the above description, the case where the user touches the desk surface in front of the device 100 with the index finger and the middle finger as the normal position and the corresponding opening is partially covered has been described. is not. As a result of the operation experiment of the device of this embodiment, it has been found that the case shown in FIG. 22 may be used as the normal position.

In FIG. 22, the middle finger is in contact with the desk surface and covers the second opening 110b, while the index finger is floating in the air and the first opening 110a is not covered by the normal position. ing. When performing a left click operation, the user swings down the index finger held in the air, presses (touches) the desk surface, and then returns the index finger to the air again to return to the normal position.

FIG. 23 is a graph showing changes in the electrical level signal obtained by the first photosensor 112a and the second photosensor 112b in the series of left click operations. Contrary to the case of FIG. 6, in the normal position, the electrical signal level obtained by the first photosensor 112a exceeds the threshold value ThM, and the opening 110a is slightly opened by swinging the index finger as the click operation starts. The light amount detected by the photosensor 112a is minimized when the finger touches the desk surface between t4 and t5. Thereafter, in order to return to the normal position again, the user raises the index finger, so that the amount of light increases. Note that the electric signal level obtained by the second photosensor 112b is always lower than the threshold ThM. This is because the position of the middle finger hardly changes during a series of operations, and continues to cover and hide the opening 110b.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a process flow for the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a to appropriately detect a click operation for a user who performs a click input by the operation method. Since steps S104, S107, and S111 are substantially the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. 8 except that steps S304, S307, and S311 are changed, a part of the description is omitted.

In step S103, the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a reads data indicating the electrical signal level at the photosensor 112a at the previous timing tk-2 from the storage unit and compares it with the electrical signal level at the timing tk-1 input this time. As a result of the processing, it is determined whether the change amount (decrease amount) of the electric signal level exceeds a predetermined reference value (S304). As a result of the determination, if it has not decreased by a predetermined reference value or more, it is determined that there is no possibility of a click operation and the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if there is a decrease beyond the predetermined reference value, it is determined that the user may have entered a click operation, and the process proceeds to the subsequent step S105.

The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether the electrical signal level at tk, which is the current timing, is below a predetermined threshold ThM (step S307). The result of the determination. If the electrical signal level at the timing tk is not lower than the threshold ThM, the index finger in front of the opening 110a remains in a state where it does not cover the opening 110a, and the process returns to step S101 assuming that no click operation is performed. On the other hand, if it is below the threshold ThM, it is determined that the possibility that the user has entered the click operation continues, and the process proceeds to the subsequent step S108.

The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether the electric signal level at the timing of tk + ix exceeds the threshold ThM (step S311). If the threshold ThM is exceeded, it is assumed that the amount of light detected by the photosensor 112a has increased due to the finger swung down for the click operation being lifted again and opening the front of the opening 110a, and the left click It is determined that the operation has been performed, the determination result is sent to the first click information generation processing unit 1142a, and the process returns to step S101. The first click information generation processing unit 1142a that has obtained the determination result generates a first click information packet indicating that the left click has been performed, outputs the first click information packet to the wireless communication unit 115, and wirelessly transmits from the wireless communication unit 115. Then, processing based on the first click information is performed by the external computer.

On the other hand, if the threshold value ThM is not exceeded in step S111, it is assumed that the opening 110a is still covered with the index finger, and the process is continued. Specifically, the index ix is incremented by 1 (step S112), and it is determined whether the value of the index ix exceeds 10 (step S113). When the value of the index ix exceeds 10, that is, when the current timing is tk + 10, it indicates that 0.6 seconds or more have elapsed since the timing tk-2 at which the index finger started to be swung down. It is determined that the decrease in the electric signal level in the photosensor 112a is not due to the click operation, the series of processes is terminated, and the process returns to step S101.

As described above, the processes in FIGS. 8 and 24 are merely reversed. Even in this determination method, it is possible to detect a click operation from the user when the floating state is the normal position. However, as can be seen from a comparison between FIG. 8 and FIG. 24, in the case of the click method shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, since the position where the finger is swung down is more forward, the change appears relatively gently. Therefore, for example, instead of checking the amount of decrease in the electric signal level at two adjacent timings in step S103, a configuration may be used in which two electric signal levels at timings separated by two or three sections are compared. Further, as in the case of FIG. 9, it is more preferable to provide a step corresponding to the standby step S107a.

Further, in the click method of FIGS. 22 and 23, since the position of the index finger that is swung down is relatively far from the device, the opening 110a is not completely covered even when it is fully swung down. A high signal level is detected. Therefore, in the determination process in FIG. 24, it is more preferable that the threshold ThM is configured to use a value different from the threshold ThM shown in FIGS. That is, when branching occurs in step S104 or step S304, the determination process is performed using the threshold ThM1 in the processing flow of FIGS. 8 and 9, and the determination process is performed using a different threshold ThM2 in the processing flow of FIG. This is preferable because the click operation can be detected with higher accuracy.

In addition, it is further preferable that a lens is disposed between each of the above-described openings and the photosensor to efficiently collect incident light on the photosensor. Further, it is more preferable to use a solid-state imaging device (CCD sensor, CMOS sensor, etc.) having a position resolution as a photosensor because a click operation with higher accuracy can be detected. By using the element having the position resolution, the electrical signal level detected in order in the z direction changes with the finger lifting and swinging down, so the electrical signal in the z direction within the solid-state imaging device. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a more accurate determination is performed by incorporating a level transition into a determination criterion.

In addition, in the above description, the configuration for performing the operation determination process and the operation information generation process in the pointing device 100 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. A configuration may be adopted in which a driver for performing the processing is installed on the computer side and the processing is performed on the computer side. In this case, the electrical level signal detected by each photo sensor or touch sensor is transmitted from the wireless communication unit 115 to the computer as it is. The driver installed in the computer determines whether a meaningful operation has been performed according to the above-described criteria based on the detection signals (electric signals) from the photo sensor and touch sensor transmitted wirelessly, and passes them to the application. A configuration is also possible. In this case, the whole including the function realized by the pointing device and the program as the driver can be constructed as a pointing system.

In the above description, a case where a plurality of photosensors are arranged behind a plurality of openings has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIGS. There is one horizontally long opening 110 extending to the vicinity of the right side surface 104, and a solid image pickup device (photosensor) 112 having a horizontally long and position resolution in at least the x direction corresponding to the opening 110 is disposed behind the opening 110. May be. The first area in the solid-state imaging device 112 can be used for left click operation determination, and the second area can be used for right click operation determination.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 27, the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether the second click operation has been performed within a predetermined period after the left click operation is detected, and performs the second left click. When it is determined that the operation has been performed, the second click operation is regarded as a click operation related to the double click operation, and the first click information generation processing unit 1142a includes the first identifier including the identifier indicating the double click operation. It is even better when the click information is generated.

In the above description, the photosensors 112a and 112b are described as photosensors that detect visible light. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is even better to use a photosensor that detects infrared rays. In this case, the signal level is higher when the user's finger is positioned in front of the opening due to the correspondence of the user's finger. Therefore, the determination process described above is the reverse process. That is, the operation determination processing unit 114 is clicked when the signal level X shifts from the first level band having the threshold value ThM or higher to the second level band having the threshold value ThL and then returns to the first level band within a predetermined period. It may be determined that the operation has been performed. Note that. The threshold value may be appropriately set according to the temperature of the outside world, the body temperature of the user, and the like.

(Embodiment 2)
The pointing device according to the second embodiment provides a configuration in which a drag operation can be performed while maintaining high operability.

As seen in the first embodiment, the user's click operation is determined to be a click operation when the finger is lifted or swung down from the normal position and returned to the normal position again within a predetermined period. Therefore, in the pointing device 100 according to the first embodiment, when the state where the finger is lifted or swung down from the normal position continues, it is determined that the operation is not a drag operation but an erroneous operation. In a normal mouse, the drag operation is to move while continuing the state where the left click button is pressed. Therefore, the drag operation cannot be properly detected only by the above-described determination method.

Therefore, the pointing device 200 according to the second embodiment aims to provide a highly convenient pointing device by performing determination processing for detecting a drag operation with high accuracy without reducing operability. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, a part of the description already given in the first embodiment is omitted. For the housing of the pointing device 200 according to the second embodiment, the pointing device shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 is used.

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram in which the left click operation and the drag operation are arranged in time series. In the normal position, the index finger is located in front of the opening 110a, but the opening 110a is not completely shielded, so the electrical signal level Xa obtained by the photosensor behind the opening is ThL <Xa <ThM.

Here, the operation of completely pressing the opening 110a with the index finger and closing it is associated with the drag operation. When the user wants to perform a drag operation, the opening 110a is closed by the index finger by pulling back the index finger placed in front of the front side surface 106 and pressing it against the front side surface 106, and the electric signal level in the photosensor 112a falls below the threshold ThL. . When the operation falls below the threshold ThL, it is determined that the drag operation has been performed.

FIG. 29 is a block diagram illustrating a part of the configuration of the pointing device 200. The operation determination processing unit 1141 includes a drag operation determination processing unit 2141a, and the operation information generation processing unit 1142 includes a drag information generation processing unit 2142a. The drag operation determination processing unit 2141a determines that a drag operation is being performed when the electrical signal level obtained by the first photosensor 112a is below the second threshold value ThL. When it is determined that the drag operation is being performed, the drag information generation processing unit 2142a generates drag information indicating that the drag operation is being performed and outputs the drag information to the wireless communication unit 115. 115 wirelessly transmits the drag information to the computer. The drag information may include movement information detected by the movement detection unit 111 and generated by the movement information generation processing unit 1142d.

FIG. 30 is a graph showing the transition of the electric signal level obtained by each of the first photosensor 112a and the second photosensor 112b when a drag operation is performed. The user starts the drag operation at the timing of t12, and it is determined that the drag operation is performed by the drag operation determination processing unit 2141a because the opening 112a is completely covered with the index finger's belly at the timing of t14 and falls below the threshold ThL. The It is continuously determined that the drag operation is being performed for about 1.5 seconds until the timing t44, and it is determined that the drag operation is completed when the electric signal level exceeds the threshold ThL at the timing t44. . Note that the electric signal level in the second photosensor 112b is hardly affected in the series of drag operations, and therefore, it is mainly determined whether or not the drag operation is based on information obtained by the first photosensor 112a.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of the drag operation determination process performed by the drag operation determination processing unit 2141a.

The drag operation determination processing unit 2141a inputs data indicating the electric signal level from the photosensor 112a at a predetermined time interval from the photosensor 112a (step S401), and stores it in the storage area for the photosensor 112a in the storage unit (RAM 114c). Store (step S402). This process is common to steps S101 and S102 in the click determination.

Next, the drag operation determination processing unit 2141a determines whether the electrical signal level at the current timing is below a predetermined threshold ThL (step S403). As a result of the determination, if the electrical signal level is not lower than the threshold ThL, the opening 110a is not completely covered with the index finger, and the process returns to step S401 assuming that the drag operation is not performed.

On the other hand, if it is below the threshold ThL, the drag operation determination processing unit 2141a determines that the drag operation has started, sends the determination result to the drag information generation processing unit 2142a, and the drag information generation processing unit 2142a performs the drag operation. Drag information indicating that this is being performed is generated (step S404).

Subsequently, the drag operation determination processing unit 2141a inputs data indicating the electrical signal level of the photosensor 112a at the next timing (step S405), stores the data in the storage unit (step S406), and then the electrical signal at the current timing. It is determined whether the level is below a predetermined threshold ThL (step S407).

As a result of the determination, if the electric signal level is below the threshold ThL, the drag operation determination processing unit 2141a determines that the drag operation is continuing (step S408), and returns to step S405. The determination result is sent to the drag information generation processing unit 2142a, and the drag information generation processing unit 2142a generates drag information indicating that the drag operation is continuing.

On the other hand, when the electrical singing level is higher than the threshold ThL, it indicates that the user's index finger has come off from the vicinity of the opening 110a and light has started to enter, so the drag operation determination processing unit 2141a ends the drag operation. It determines with having carried out (step S409). The determination result is sent to the drag information generation processing unit 2142a, and the drag information generation processing unit 2142a generates drag information indicating that the drag operation has ended.

As described above, the pointing device 200 according to the second embodiment includes the drag operation determination processing unit 2141a that determines whether the electric signal level obtained by the photosensor 112a is lower than the threshold value ThL that is the second threshold value, and the threshold value. And a drag information generation processing unit 2142a indicating that a drag operation is being performed when the threshold value is below ThL. With this configuration, a drag operation with a mouse is defined as a drag operation on a normal mouse, that is, an operation that moves while pressing the left click button with the index finger. Thus, it is possible to appropriately detect a drag operation from the user with a simple configuration.

When the left click operation is input by the method described with reference to FIGS. 22 to 24, it is difficult to determine whether the operation is a click operation or a drag operation in the determination process of FIG. 24, which may cause an erroneous operation. Therefore, it is preferable that the drag operation and the left click operation are captured according to the processing shown in FIG.

In FIG. 32, step S507-1 and step S507-2 are newly provided in place of step S307 in FIG. Also, instead of step S311 in FIG. 24, step S511-1 and step S511-2 are newly provided. Here, the first click operation determination processing unit 1141a and the drag operation determination processing unit 2141a are combined into the block that performs the process of determining whether the operation corresponds to the first button (left click button). This is called a one-button operation determination processing unit.

Subsequent to step S106, the first button operation determination processing unit determines whether the electric signal level X obtained by the photosensor 112a at the current timing (tk) is ThH ≦ X (step S507-1). If the electric signal level X exceeds the threshold ThH in spite of the electric signal level decreasing in step S304, it is determined that the click operation and the drag operation are not performed, and the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if the electrical signal level X does not exceed ThH in step S511-2, it is determined whether the electrical signal level X is below the threshold ThL (step S507-2). If the result of determination is below ThL, it is determined that the drag operation has been performed on the assumption that the opening 110a is closed by the belly of the finger, and the process proceeds to step S404.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination exceeds ThL, it indicates that the electrical signal level is ThL <X <ThM, and therefore the left click operation is likely to be performed, and the process proceeds to step S108. .

Further, after the subsequent electrical level signal is stored in the storage unit (step S110), it is determined whether the electrical signal level exceeds the threshold ThM (step S511-1). If it exceeds the threshold ThM, the process proceeds to step S114. On the other hand, if it is below the threshold ThM, it is determined whether it is below a lower threshold ThL (step S511-2). If the threshold value ThL is exceeded, it is highly likely that the click operation is in progress, and the process proceeds to step S112.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S <b> 511-2 is below the threshold ThL, the process proceeds to step S <b> 404 as not a click operation but a drag operation.

When the first button operation determination processing unit performs the determination process according to the above flow, the drag operation and the click operation intended by the user can be properly captured.

In the above description, the case where it is determined that the drag operation is performed when the signal level X of the electrical level signal obtained by the photosensor 112a is lower than the threshold value ThL has been described. There is a possibility that the signal level falls below the threshold ThL depending on the time. In this case, determining that the drag operation has been performed leads to an erroneous operation.

Therefore, it is more preferable to perform the determination process according to the process shown in FIG. In the process shown in FIG. 33, step S507-3 is newly added after step S507-2 in addition to the process shown in FIG.

The first button operation determination processing unit does not immediately determine that the drag operation has been performed when the signal level X of the electrical level signal obtained by the photosensor 112a in step S507-2 is lower than the threshold ThL. It is determined whether or not the signal levels Y and Z of electronic signals obtained by other photosensors (here, photosensor 112b-1 and photosensor 112b-2) are below a threshold ThL (step S507-3). As a result of the determination, when the signal levels Y and Z in the photosensors 112b-1 and 112b-2 are both lower than the threshold ThL, the level signal X is equal to or less than ThL because it depends on the irradiation environment of the outside world. It is determined that the operation is not a drag operation, and the process returns to step S101 (step S507-4). On the other hand, if either of the signal levels Y and Z is greater than or equal to the threshold ThL, it is determined that a drag operation has been performed and the process proceeds to step S404.

By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination of a decrease in signal level depending on the external environment as a drag operation. In addition, it is good also as a structure which provides the process step similar to step S507-3 and step S507-4 after step S511-2.

Note that the drag operation determination method is not limited to the above processing method. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 34, the touch sensor 201 may be disposed above the opening 110a, and the drag operation may be determined based on whether or not the user is in contact with the touch sensor 201. The determination process based on the sensing result in the sensor 201 and the determination process described with reference to FIGS. 23 to 33 may be combined to detect a drag operation. For example, the first button operation determination processing unit determines that a drag operation is being performed when the electrical signal level obtained by the photosensor 112a is below the threshold ThL and contact is detected by the touch sensor 201. With the configuration, the drag operation can be detected with high accuracy.

As another method for detecting the drag operation, as shown in FIG. 35, when the pressure sensor 202 is arranged on the left side surface 103 where the thumb hits and a pressure exceeding a predetermined threshold is applied by the pressure sensor 202. It is also possible to adopt a method for determining that a drag operation is being performed. In this case, a user who wants to perform a drag operation can input the drag operation by pressing his thumb strongly against the left side surface 103.

However, it is preferable that a predetermined operation performed with the index finger is associated with the drag operation in the drag operation. In the conventional mouse, the drag operation is an operation of continuously pressing the left click button with the index finger. As described above, assigning an operation deviating from the operation contents that are widely spread reduces the operability for the user.

From an economic point of view, switching costs occur when a device used by a user is replaced with another type of device. When replacing a familiar OS, mobile phone, or smartphone with a product of another manufacturer, the user must remember the operation contents from the beginning, and the user learns the free time that is the resource that the user has. Need to spend. Therefore, the switching cost becomes higher as the operation contents are different, and the user causes the consumption behavior of replacement by purchase only when there is added value even if the switching cost is generated.

A general operation method of a mouse has already been established, and requesting an operation method deviating from the conventional operation method from a consumer causes a large switching cost. Therefore, in order to reduce porting cost while reducing the size of the device, the conventional operation content is as follows: 1: left click is pushed with the index finger, 2: right click is pushed with the middle finger, 3 : It is preferable to keep the basic operation content such as dragging with the index finger.

According to the pointing device 200 according to the second embodiment described above, pressing the opening portion located behind the index finger is detected as a drag operation as it is, and therefore, the conventional operation method is followed and a switching cost is generated. Therefore, it is possible to provide a high user experience while maintaining operability.

The belly of the index finger that presses the opening 110a or the touch sensor 201 is at a position of 10 mm to 20 mm from the fingertip. Therefore, the opening 110a or the touch sensor 201 may be arranged at the position of 10 mm to 20 mm from the bottom surface 101. .

When the photosensors 112a and 112b are photosensors that detect infrared rays, the signal level is higher when the openings 110a and 110b are closed with a finger due to the correspondence of the user's finger. Therefore, the determination process described above is the reverse process. That is, the operation determination processing unit 114 may determine that a drag operation has been performed when the signal level X is equal to or greater than the threshold value ThH. Specifically, a drag operation determination processing unit 2141a that determines whether the electrical signal level obtained by the photosensor 112a that detects infrared rays exceeds a threshold ThH, and a drag operation is performed when the level exceeds the threshold ThH. It may be configured to include a drag information generation processing unit 2142a indicating that the information is present. Here, the threshold value ThH is preferably set to a value for detecting infrared rays emitted from a finger at 35 ° C. to 40 ° C., which is a human body temperature.

(Embodiment 3)
The pointing device of the present invention is characterized by optically detecting an operation of a finger normally performed by the pointing device. Here, since the pointing device is usually performed on a desk in a bright room, the movement of the finger can be detected based on the presence or absence of a shadow created by the finger. However, some users use a laptop computer in bed before going to bed after turning off the light, or use it with the room light turned off to enhance the atmosphere when watching movies on a laptop computer. is there. In such a case, since the external irradiation state is not preferable, even if the finger is moved, there is a possibility that the movement of the finger cannot be detected by the photo sensor located behind the opening.

The pointing device according to the third embodiment is further provided with means for solving the problem, and an object thereof is to provide a pointing device that can appropriately detect an operation from a user without depending on an external environment. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, part of the description already given in the first and second embodiments is omitted.

FIG. 36 is an external view of a pointing device 300 according to the third embodiment. A light source 301 is newly provided on the front side surface 106 of the pointing device 300. As the light source 301, for example, a planar OELD can be used. The light source 301 is disposed above each of the openings 110 a, 110 b-1, 110 b-2 and is disposed as a horizontally long illumination lamp along the longitudinal direction of the front side surface 106. The light source 301 does not need to be exposed on the front side surface 106, and it is preferable that an illumination opening having the shape shown in FIG. 36 is provided and the light source 301 is disposed behind the illumination opening.

FIG. 37 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the pointing device 300. As shown in FIG. The pointing device 300 newly includes a light source (light emitter) 301, a light source control circuit (light source control unit) 302, and a mode setting unit 303.

The mode determination unit 303 periodically checks the electrical signal levels obtained by the plurality of photosensors 112a, 112b-1, and 112b-2, and determines whether all these electrical signal levels are below a predetermined threshold. To do. The threshold value ThL described above can be used as the threshold value.

As illustrated in FIG. 38, the mode determination unit 303 determines the current mode as one of the modes 1 to 4. Mode 1 is normal when the user is right-handed and the environment is bright, mode 2 is when the user is left-handed and the environment is dark, mode 3 is when the user is right-handed and the environment is dark, and mode 4 is used when the user is left-handed This mode is set when the environment is dark.

The mode determination unit 303 outputs a light source lighting command signal to the light source control unit 302 when the electric signal levels from all the photosensors are below the threshold value. When the lighting command signal is input, the light source control unit 302 controls the light source 301 to be turned on by energizing the light source 301 and the battery 116.

After the light source 301 is turned on, the mode determination unit 303 determines whether the user is left-handed or right-handed based on the electric signal level obtained by each photosensor, and determines the current mode. The mode determination unit 303 stores information indicating the determined current mode in the storage unit as mode information. The operation determination processing unit 1141 selects a determination criterion and a determination algorithm for determining whether a predetermined operation has been performed based on the current mode determined by the mode determination unit 303, and based on the electrical level signal sent from each photosensor. The judgment process is performed.

When the light source 301 is turned on, light is irradiated in front of the light source 301, so that the abdominal portions of the index finger and the middle finger are illuminated as shown in FIG. Therefore, in this case, the electric signal level detected by the photosensor increases when the index finger and the middle finger are present. Therefore, when the signal level Y in the photosensor 112b-1 is higher than the signal level Z in the photosensor 112b-2, it means that the middle finger is in front of the opening 110b-1, and the user is right-handed. Can be determined. In the opposite case, it is determined to be left-handed. The mode determination unit 303 determines the current mode based on these determination results, and stores the mode information in the storage unit.

In this case, since the signal level is bright when the finger is present, all the determination criteria described above are reversed. FIG. 40 shows transitions of electric signal levels obtained by the photosensors 112a and 112b-1 at the time of a left click operation when the light source 301 is turned on. In this case, that is, when the current mode is set to the third mode, the left click determination process is as shown in FIG. 41 instead of the flow of FIG. Step S104 is changed to step S604, step S107 is changed to step S607, and step S111 is changed to step S611.

The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether the change amount (decrease amount) in the electric signal level exceeds a predetermined reference value as a result of the comparison processing in step S103 (S604). As a result of the determination, if there is no change beyond the predetermined reference value, it is determined that there is no possibility of a click operation, and the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if there is a change greater than the predetermined reference value, it is determined that the user may have entered a click operation, and the process proceeds to subsequent step S105.

The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether the electrical signal level at tk, which is the current timing, is below a predetermined threshold ThM (step S607). The result of the determination. If the electrical signal level at the timing tk is not lower than the threshold ThM, the index finger in front of the opening 110a remains in the state of covering the opening 110a, and the process returns to step S101 assuming that no click operation is performed. On the other hand, if it is below the threshold ThM, it is determined that the possibility that the user has entered the click operation continues, and the process proceeds to the subsequent step S108.

The first click operation determination processing unit 1141a determines whether the electrical signal level at the timing of tk ++ p + ix exceeds the threshold value ThM (step S611). If the threshold ThM is exceeded, it is assumed that the amount of light detected by the photosensor 112a has increased due to the finger lifted up for the click operation being shaken off and blocking the front of the opening 110a again. It is determined that the operation has been performed, the determination result is sent to the first click information generation processing unit 1142a, and the process returns to step S101.

On the other hand, if the threshold value ThM is not exceeded in step S111, it is determined that the opening 110a is still exposed without a shielding object, and the process proceeds to step S112 to continue the determination process.

As described above, the pointing device according to the third embodiment lights the light source 301 when the light is turned on, and when the electric signal level obtained by the photoelectric effect in the photosensor 112 is lower than a predetermined reference value. And a light source control unit 302 that performs control.

With this configuration, even when the surroundings are dark, the movement of the finger can be detected by detecting the reflected light of the irradiation light from the light source hitting the finger with the photosensor 112, so that the external environment It is possible to perform operation input without depending on.

The light source 301 is disposed on the front side surface 106. More specifically, the front side surface 106 is disposed in the vicinity of the photosensor 112. Preferably, it is disposed on the front side 106 above the opening 110 for the photosensor 112. The light source 301 does not have to be positioned above the opening 110, and may be disposed below the opening 110 as shown in FIG.

Further, as described above, instead of a horizontally long light source extending from the vicinity of the left side surface 103 to the vicinity of the right side surface 104 covering a plurality of photosensors, a plurality of photosensors 112 (each opening 110) are arranged in accordance with each photosensor 112 (each opening 110) as shown in FIG. It is even better if the light source 301 is arranged near the opening. In FIG. 43, the light source 301a is disposed above the opening 110a, the light source 301b-1 is disposed above the opening 110b-1, and the light source 301b-2 is disposed above the opening 110b-2.

FIG. 44 is a flowchart showing the flow of mode determination processing in the mode determination unit 303. When the power switch 108 is switched and the power is turned on, the mode determination unit 303 inputs the electrical signal levels X, Y, and Z detected by the photosensors 112a, 112b-1, and 112b-2 (step S701). ), It is determined whether all these signal levels are below the threshold ThL (step S702). Here, the threshold value ThL is a value that serves as a criterion for determining whether the external brightness is equal to or less than a predetermined standard, and other threshold values may be used instead of the threshold value ThL.

If any one of the signal levels X, Y, and Z exceeds the threshold value ThL, the process proceeds to step S703 assuming that at least the external brightness is bright enough to make an operation determination. The mode determination unit 303 compares the signal level Y with the signal level Z (step S703). When the signal level Y is smaller than the signal level Z, the opening 110b-1 disposed on the left side surface 103 side is covered with the middle finger, so that it is determined that the signal level Y is small and right-handed. The current mode is set to the first mode (step S704). On the other hand, when the signal level Z is smaller than the signal level Y, it is determined that the user is left-handed and the current mode is set to the second mode (step S705).

On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S702, when it is determined that the signal levels X, Y, and Z are all below the threshold ThL, the mode determination unit 303 causes the light source control unit 302 to turn on all the light sources. An instruction signal is output (step S706).

Next, the mode determination unit 303 compares the signal level Y with the signal level Z (step S707). When the signal level Y is higher than the signal level Z, the opening 110b-1 disposed on the left side surface 103 side is covered with the middle finger, so that it is determined that the signal level Y is large and right-handed. The current mode is set to the third mode (step S708). In this case, since lighting the light source 301b-2 arranged in the vicinity of the opening 110b-2 leads to unnecessary power consumption, the mode determination unit 303 outputs an instruction signal for turning off the light source 301b-2. (Step S709). The light source control unit 302 performs control to turn off the light source 301b-2 based on the instruction signal.

On the other hand, when the signal level Y is lower than the signal level Z, the opening 110b-2 disposed on the right side surface 104 side is covered with the middle finger, and thus it is determined that the signal level Z is large and left-handed. The current mode is set to the fourth mode (step S710). In this case, since lighting the light source 301b-1 disposed in the vicinity of the opening 110b-1 leads to unnecessary power consumption, the mode determination unit 303 outputs an instruction signal for turning off the light source 301b-1. (Step S709). The light source control unit 302 performs control to turn off the light source 301b-1 based on the instruction signal.

If the external environment changes when the device is used, the light source 303 is switched on / off according to the processing flow of FIG. FIG. 45 shows the mode switching determination process when the current mode is set to the first mode or the second mode.

The mode determination unit 303, when any of the signal levels X, Y, and Z falls below the threshold value ThL in the series of operation determination processes in the operation determination processing unit 1141 (step S721), It is determined whether all of Z has fallen below the threshold value ThL (step S722). As a result of the determination, if it is determined that all the signal levels have fallen below the threshold ThL, it is determined that the outside has become dark, and the light source 301 is instructed to the light source control unit 302 to shift to the third or fourth mode. A signal for instructing lighting is output (step S723).

With this configuration, the current mode can be switched appropriately, and good operation input can be performed without depending on the external environment. Note that the above processing includes a processing step for determining whether the user is right-handed or left-handed. However, since the user normally uses a pointing device in a right or left hand, it is used as in FIG. It is preferable to provide a change-over switch 117 indicating a hand. The mode determination unit 303 can determine the current mode according to the setting content in the changeover switch 117.

In the above description, the method for determining the brightness of the outside world using the signal level obtained by the remaining photosensors arranged on the front side surface 106 is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also preferable to arrange a photo sensor for detecting the external environment on the other side surface or the upper surface 102 of the device and to determine the mode based on a signal from the photo sensor.

The mode determination unit 303 determines a determination algorithm and a determination threshold used in the operation determination process based on the signal level obtained by the photoelectric effect in a plurality of photosensors including the external environment detection photosensor, and determines the first click operation determination The processing unit 1141a, the second click operation determination processing unit 1141b, and the drag operation determination processing unit 2141a perform a corresponding operation based on the signal level obtained by each photosensor according to an algorithm and a threshold value determined by the mode determination unit 303. It is even better if it is configured to determine whether it is being performed.

In the above description, the photosensors 112a and 112b are described as photosensors that detect visible light. However, when a photosensor that detects infrared rays is used, the finger temperature is determined from the finger body temperature even in the dark. Therefore, even if there is no light source 301, the device can be used day and night, which is preferable.

In the case of using a photosensor that detects infrared rays, an infrared lamp may be used as the light source 301 so that the movement of the finger can be easily captured. The infrared rays hit the finger positioned in front of the opening and are warmed, so that the contrast is increased and the finger position and movement can be detected with higher accuracy.

In addition, a photosensor for detecting visible light and a photosensor for detecting infrared light are used in combination, and these two types of photosensors are arranged side by side, and a predetermined operation is performed based on the signal level of an electric signal obtained by these photosensors. A configuration for determining whether or not it has been performed is preferable because accuracy is further improved. In this case, the signal level of the sensor that detects visible light drops because the shadow of the finger is lower, whereas the sensor that detects infrared light is capable of detecting the infrared light emitted by the body temperature of the finger. The level goes up. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the frequency of detecting an erroneous operation by making a determination based on the signal levels of the electric signals obtained by these two types of photosensors using a determination algorithm in which the determination criteria are reversed.

(Embodiment 4)
The pointing device 300 according to the third embodiment is characterized in that a light source 301 is provided to appropriately detect a user operation input even in the dark. The pointing device according to the fourth embodiment is characterized in that a light source is used as a light source for button display. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, a part of the description already given in the first to third embodiments will be omitted.

FIG. 46 is an external view of a pointing device 400 according to the fourth embodiment. The pointing device 400 has a horizontally long opening 110 on the front side surface 106, and a projection light source 401 and a photosensor (solid-state imaging device) 112 with position resolution are arranged on the back side of the opening 110.

The projection light source 401 projects light indicating the left click button and the right click button to the front lower side of the front side surface 106. FIG. 47 shows a plan view and a perspective view of the pointing device 400 in a state where the left click button 411 and the right click button 412 are projected. As can be seen from the figure, a button is projected on the desk in front of the pointing device 400.

The position projected by the projection light source 401 is displayed at a position of 0 mm to 30 mm from the front side surface 106, more preferably at a position of 0 mm to 20 mm, and even more preferably at a position of 2 mm to 15 mm. The shape of the button is not necessarily rectangular as shown in FIG. 47, and various buttons such as an ellipse can be displayed.

On the front side surface 106, a photosensor 112 is disposed at a location corresponding to the displayed button. Therefore, the movement of the finger performed by the user on the button is detected by the photosensor 112, and the operation determination processing unit 114 determines whether a predetermined operation is being performed.

As described above, the pointing device 400 according to the fourth embodiment includes the projection mechanism that projects the button region in front of the device and at a position of 0 mm to 30 mm from the device. More preferably, the projection mechanism projects an image of a button area indicating the operation detection area at a position of 0 mm to 20 mm in front of the photosensor 112 on the desk surface on which the pointing device 400 is placed.

The projection mechanism includes a laser light source serving as a projection light source 401, a micromirror that reflects light emitted from the laser light source to the button area, and a back surface of the micromirror, and the angle of the micromirror is set. It consists of a control mechanism to control. The control mechanism can use a piezoelectric element whose shape changes with voltage, a control circuit that applies a control voltage to the piezoelectric element, and the like. By applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element and moving the micromirror at a high speed, the button area in front of the device is scanned at a frame rate of about 15 fps to 60 fps, and the button is displayed.

With this configuration, when the user looks at the projected button, places a finger on the button, and performs an operation such as clicking, the user moves the finger on the button. Since the photo sensor 112 is disposed at the position corresponding to the projected button on the front side surface 106, the photo sensor 112 can appropriately detect the movement of the finger. It becomes possible.

That is, when there is no button projection, each user places his / her finger at a desired position for operation. For example, when a click operation or the like is performed at a position too far from the pointing device 400, Cannot be detected, and the operability is degraded. On the other hand, according to the pointing device 400, by projecting and displaying a button in the vicinity area in front of the pointing device that can be easily detected by the photosensor 112, the user is encouraged to operate the finger at that position. It is possible to prevent erroneous operations and operation detection mistakes and improve the user experience.

The arrangement of the projection mechanism is not limited to that shown in FIG. 47. As shown in FIG. 48, a projection opening is provided near the center in the longitudinal direction of the front side surface 106, and the projection is projected from the opening. The left click button 411 and the right click button 412 are projected on the desk in front of the device and in front of the place where the operation detection photosensor 112 is arranged by irradiating the laser for scanning. It is good also as a structure.

As described above, by further including a projection mechanism that projects an image showing the operation detection area at a position of 0 mm <L <30 mm from the front side surface in front of the photosensor, the user can perform a click operation or the like. It can function as a guide when performing.

(Embodiment 5)
In the operation determination processing unit, the accuracy is enhanced by comparing with various criteria and thresholds so that the operation performed by the user can be accurately captured. Here, the operation performed by the user has a feature for each user. For example, some users perform a click operation slowly, and some users perform a click operation quickly. In some cases, the finger is placed at a different position as the normal position.

In this way, a conventional mouse does not depend on the user, and the click operation is a simple operation such as pressing a button. Anyone can detect the click operation, whereas the non-contact click can be detected. If there is a characteristic for each user, and it is determined whether it is a click operation or a drag operation by a uniform determination method, it is easy to lead to an erroneous operation or an operation detection error, and the dissatisfaction with the user is improved. Cause it.

The pointing device according to the fifth embodiment has been made in view of the above problem, and is characterized in that even if there is a feature in the operation method for each user, it is optimized to improve operability. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, a part of the description already given in the first to fourth embodiments will be omitted.

FIG. 49 shows the pointing device 500 according to the fifth embodiment and the computer 10 displaying a setting screen for performing settings relating to operation determination of the pointing device 500.

FIG. 50 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the pointing device 500 and the computer 10. The computer 10 includes a setting start instruction input unit 11, a setting screen display unit 12, a setting start notification transmission unit 13, a time measurement unit 14, a setting end notification transmission unit 15, a sensor information reception unit 16, and sensor information. A storage unit 17, a setting information generation unit 18, a setting information transmission unit 19, and an operation information reception unit 20 are provided.

The setting start instruction input unit 11 inputs a setting start instruction from the user. The user issues a setting start instruction from a keyboard or the like provided in the computer 10. When the setting start instruction input unit 11 inputs a setting start instruction, the setting screen display unit 12 displays the setting screen on the display. On the setting screen, a screen that prompts the user to perform a predetermined operation, a gauge that indicates a period during which the operation is performed, and the like are displayed.

When a setting start instruction is input, the setting start notification transmission unit 12 transmits a setting start notification packet to the pointing device 500. Moreover, the time measurement part 13 starts predetermined | prescribed time measurement.

The setting end notification transmission unit 15 transmits a setting end notification packet to the pointing device 500 when the time measurement performed by the time measurement unit 13 is completed.

The sensor information receiving unit 16 receives the sensor information transmitted from the pointing device 500 between the transmission of the setting start notification packet and the transmission of the setting end notification packet. Here, the sensor information is information including an electrical level signal obtained by the photoelectric effect in the photosensor of the pointing device 500.

The sensor information storage unit 17 stores the sensor information received by the sensor information reception unit 16. FIG. 51 shows a graph of sensor information arranged in time series. An electrical level signal obtained by the photosensor when the user repeatedly performs a click operation according to the setting screen is included in the sensor information.

The setting information generation processing unit 18 generates setting information based on the sensor information received by the sensor information receiving unit 16. The setting information is information indicating a determination algorithm (determination program) used for the operation determination process in the pointing device 500.

The setting information generation processing unit 18 includes a determination algorithm selection unit 181 and a determination parameter determination unit 182. The determination algorithm selection unit 181 selects an algorithm that can be determined as a click operation based on sensor information from among a plurality of algorithms prepared as algorithms for determination processing. The determination parameter determination unit 182 determines parameters used in the selected determination algorithm. Examples of the parameter include a standby period (for example, parameters p, q, s, etc.).

The setting information transmission unit 19 transmits the setting information generated by the setting information generation processing unit 18 to the pointing device 500.

The operation information receiving unit 20 receives operation information indicating an operation input with the pointing device 500. The operation information is sent to a higher-level application and processing according to the operation content indicated by the operation information is performed.

The pointing device 500 includes a photo sensor 112, a setting start notification receiving unit 501, a setting end notification receiving unit 502, a setting processing control unit 503, a sensor information transmitting unit 504, a setting information receiving unit 505, and a setting information storage. A unit 506, an operation determination processing unit 1141, an operation information generation processing unit 1142, and an operation information transmission unit 507.

The setting start notification receiving unit 501 receives a setting start notification packet transmitted from the computer and sends it to the setting processing control unit 503.

The setting end notification receiving unit 502 receives a setting end notification packet transmitted from the computer and sends it to the setting processing control unit 503.

When the setting processing control unit 503 receives the setting start notification packet from the setting start notification receiving unit 501, the setting processing control unit 503 detects the electrical level signal obtained by the photosensor 112 until the setting end notification packet is received from the setting end notification receiving unit 502. The information is sent to the information transmission unit 504. Also, the setting process control unit 503 stores the setting information received by the setting information receiving unit 505 in the setting information mechanism unit 506. In addition, the setting process control unit 503 controls a series of setting processes.

The sensor information transmission unit 504 transmits an electrical level signal obtained by the photosensor 112 to the computer 10 as sensor information in accordance with control from the setting processing control unit 503.

The setting information receiving unit 505 receives setting information generated and transmitted by the setting information generation processing unit 18 in the computer 10 based on the sensor information transmitted by the sensor information transmitting unit 504.

The setting information storage unit 506 stores the setting information.

Based on the setting information stored in the setting information storage unit 506, the operation determination processing unit 1141 determines whether the user action detected by the photosensor 112 is a predetermined operation such as click or drag. Process. The setting information includes information for specifying a determination algorithm used for the determination process and information about parameters used in the determination algorithm, and the operation determination processing unit 1141 uses the determination algorithm indicated by the setting information. Judgment processing is performed.

When the operation determination processing unit 1141 determines that a predetermined operation has been performed, the operation information generation processing unit 1142 generates operation information indicating the operation content and sends the operation information to the operation information transmission unit 507. The operation information transmission unit 507 transmits the operation information generated by the operation information generation processing unit 1142 to the computer 10.

As described above, the pointing device 500 according to the fifth embodiment includes a setting unit that sets an algorithm or a parameter to be executed to detect a predetermined operation based on a signal detected by a sensor during a setting period, An operation determination processing unit that determines whether the predetermined operation has been performed based on a signal detected by the sensor, using an algorithm or a parameter set by a setting unit.

By adopting such a configuration, an algorithm that allows a user to perform a predetermined operation during a set period in advance, and that a signal detected by a sensor when the predetermined operation is performed can be determined as the predetermined operation has been performed, Since a parameter can be selected and used as a determination algorithm or parameter for actual determination, it is possible to capture the user's operation using an optimal determination method for each user, and improve operability. Is possible.

Here, examples of the predetermined operation include a first click operation, a second click operation, a drag operation, and a scroll operation. In order to cause the user to perform the operation during the setting period, an operation instruction unit that instructs the user to perform a predetermined operation is provided. In the above example, the setting screen display unit 12 included in the computer 10 corresponds to the operation instruction unit. The configuration of the operation instruction unit that instructs the user to perform a predetermined operation is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which the predetermined operation is instructed by voice may be used. .

The configuration of each unit described above may be a configuration in which a driver is installed in the computer 10 and performed on the computer 10 side, but may be on the pointing device 500 side.

For example, the pointing device 500 includes a speaker for emitting sound and a setting start button for inputting a setting start instruction on the bottom surface 101. When the setting start button is pressed, the setting unit receives a predetermined value from the speaker. For determination based on a signal detected by a photo sensor or a touch sensor while the predetermined operation is performed by outputting a voice instructing an operation (for example, left click operation). A configuration in which an algorithm or a determination parameter is set is also possible.

In this case, the pointing device 500 includes a time measuring unit (timer) that measures time. The predetermined time measured by the time measuring unit is set as the set period. The determination algorithm and the determination parameter are stored as setting information in a memory inside the device, and an actual determination process is performed by the operation determination processing unit 1141 according to the content indicated by the setting information.

(Embodiment 6)
The pointing device of the present invention determines whether a predetermined operation such as a click operation or a drag operation is performed based on a non-contact finger movement. Therefore, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the pointing device, the operation is reflected on the screen of the computer, so that the user can recognize through the visual sense that the input has been properly performed.

If the response to the input made to the object A (here, pointing device) is returned from the object B (here, the computer screen), A is just a “thing”, and the stone on the roadside. And similar. We humans feel some kind of life and mystery in objects that respond to input, even though they understand in thought that they are just objects. This leads to a user experience.

In the mechanical pointing device, the click feeling that returns to the user when the input switch is pressed and the click sound such as “click” improve the user experience. However, in pursuit of miniaturization and stability, when removing mechanical buttons and detecting non-contact motion, the elements that realize a few user experiences are removed, and the warmth for the human user is removed. It becomes a lost user interface.

In view of the above problems, the pointing device according to the sixth embodiment is intended to provide a highly convenient pointing device that maintains a user experience while enabling a reduction in size. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, a part of the description already given in the first to fifth embodiments will be omitted.

FIG. 52 shows a six-sided view of the pointing device 600 according to the sixth embodiment. The pointing device 600 is characterized in that light sources 601 a, 601 b-1 and 601 b-2 are arranged on the upper surface 102. The upper surface 102 of the device 600 is formed of a transparent or translucent resin, and a light source is disposed behind the upper surface 102.

The light source 601a is a light source corresponding to an operation on the left click button, and is disposed at a position on the upper surface 102 corresponding to the first photosensor 112a used for detecting the left click operation. Since the first photosensor 112 a is disposed near the center in the longitudinal direction of the front side surface 106, the light source 601 a is also disposed near the center in the longitudinal direction on the upper surface 102. In addition, the light source 601b-1 and the light source 601b-2 are arranged near both ends in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface 102, respectively.

FIG. 53 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the pointing device 600. As shown in FIG. The pointing device 600 includes a light source 601 and a light source control circuit (light source control unit 602).

When the operation determination processing unit 114 determines that a predetermined operation has been input, the operation determination processing unit 114 outputs an operation determination result signal indicating the determined operation to the light source control unit 602. The light source control unit 602 performs control to turn on the light source 601 based on the operation determination result signal output from the operation determination processing unit 114.

For example, the light source control unit 602 performs control to turn on the first button light source 601a when the operation content indicated by the operation determination result signal is a left click operation, and when the operation content is a drag operation, While the drag operation is being performed, the first button light source 601a is controlled to blink. When the operation content indicated by the operation determination result signal is a right click operation, the light source control unit 5602 causes the second button light source 601b-1 or 601b corresponding to the photosensor that detects the right click operation. -2 is turned on. In addition, if necessary, if the operation content indicated by the operation determination result signal is a scroll operation, control may be performed to turn on or blink any one of the light sources 601.

As described above, the pointing device 600 according to the sixth embodiment includes the light source 601 on the upper surface 102, and turns on or blinks the light source 601 when the operation determination processing unit 114 determines that a predetermined operation has been performed. A light source control unit 602 that performs control.

According to this configuration, when the pointing device 600 captures an operation from the user, a response is returned to the user using the light source 601 so that the user can quickly input the operation he / she has performed appropriately. It can be received from the pointing device 600 that has performed the input, and the user experience can be improved.

The light source control unit 602 controls the light emission of the light source 601 so that the illuminance when the light source 601 blinks based on the drag operation is smaller than the illuminance when the light source 601 is turned on based on the click operation. It is more preferable. This is because strong flashing of light may cause discomfort to the user. In addition, the time during which the light source 601 is turned on based on the click operation may be determined in advance, or may be configured to be turned on over the period of the click operation detected by the photosensor 112. Here, it is assumed that the light source control unit 602 lights the light source 601 for 0.02 seconds to 0.2 seconds when a click operation is performed. If the time is shorter than 0.02 seconds, it is too short compared with the click operation. On the other hand, if it is longer than 0.2 seconds, the lighting is the same as the lighting at the time of double-clicking. This is because the lighting control by 601 cannot be presented to the user.

Note that the pointing device 600 includes a speaker and a sound control unit that performs control to emit a predetermined sound (click sound or the like) from the speaker when the operation determination processing unit 114 determines that a predetermined operation has been performed. It is further better if the configuration is provided. The ROM 114b stores audio data corresponding to the click sound or the like in advance, and the audio control unit reads the corresponding audio data when the operation determination processing unit 114 determines that a predetermined operation has been performed. Reproduce. With this configuration, the user can recognize that the click operation performed by himself / herself has been properly input by listening to a click sound or the like, and the user experience is further improved.

Note that a touch panel may be used as the light source 601. The light source control unit 602 controls the electrode layer based on the operation determination result signal on the touch panel arranged on the upper surface 102, thereby displaying a screen indicating that the input operation has been properly accepted. In addition, since the scroll operation can be input with the touch panel, the upper surface 102 can function as an input unit for inputting the scroll operation and can also function as a response response unit that returns a response to the operation input received by the user. .

If the configuration is such that the scroll operation is not detected by a touch panel or a touch sensor disposed on the upper surface 102, for example, as shown in FIG. 54, the pointing device itself can be tilted back and forth so that the scroll operation can be input. Also good.

FIG. 55 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a pointing device that inputs a scroll operation by the method. The pointing device 600 includes an inclination sensor 603 and an acceleration sensor 604.

The tilt sensor 603 detects the tilt of the pointing device 600. The acceleration sensor 604 detects acceleration applied to the pointing device 600. Information regarding the tilt detected by the tilt sensor 603 and information regarding the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 604 are sent to the scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c of the operation determination processing unit 114.

The scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c determines that the scroll operation is being performed when the tilt of the pointing device 600 indicated by the tilt information exceeds a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c may determine that the scroll operation is being performed when the acceleration applied to the pointing device 600 exceeds a predetermined threshold. In addition, the scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c may be configured to perform comparison with a plurality of determination criteria to determine whether or not the scroll operation is performed.

In this case, the scroll operation determination processing unit 1141c determines that a scroll operation with a large scroll amount has been performed as the tilt detected by the tilt sensor 503 increases, and as the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 504 increases. It is preferable to determine that a scroll operation with a large scroll amount has been performed because the scroll amount can be controlled according to the tilt or the tilting speed. In this case, the scroll information generation processing unit 1142c displays the scroll information including information on the scroll amount obtained based on the tilt angle and the magnitude of the acceleration, and the scroll direction obtained based on the tilt angle and the acceleration direction. It is generated and sent to the wireless communication unit 115.

As described above, according to the pointing device described in each embodiment, it is possible to improve the portability while maintaining the operability. Note that the pointing device according to each of the embodiments described above is an example, and it is needless to say that the pointing device can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the invention. For example, the present invention naturally includes a pointing device in which the functions of the pointing device of each embodiment are selected and combined.

The algorithm for the determination process such as the click operation described above is also an example, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the determination process may be performed according to the following algorithm.

A pointing device 700 shown in FIG. 56 is provided with a horizontally long opening 110 that transmits infrared light below the front side surface 106, and a photo sensor 112a, a photo sensor 112b-1, and a photo sensor 112b-2 are arranged in the opening 110. Yes. A touch sensor 201 is disposed in the vicinity of the opening 112a.

As shown in FIG. 57, the operation determination processing unit 1141 determines whether or not the signal level X of the photosensor 112a at the predetermined timing tk has increased by a predetermined change amount R1 or more (step S801). If it has increased, the index finger may have moved and a left-click operation may have been performed, so the process moves to step S810 in FIG.

If not increased, the operation determination processing unit 1141 determines whether or not the signal level X of the photosensor 112a at the timing tk has decreased by a predetermined change amount R2 (step S802). Even in the case of a decrease, the index finger may have moved and the left click operation may have been performed, so the process proceeds to step S820 in FIG. If the signal level X of the electrical signal obtained by the photosensor 112a has neither increased nor decreased, the process returns to step S801 assuming that the left click operation has not been performed at the timing tk, and the same determination processing is performed at the next timing. Do.

When it is determined in step S801 that the amount of change R1 has increased, the operation determination processing unit 1141 determines whether the signal level X at the timing tk−1, which is the previous timing, is equal to or lower than the threshold Th1 (step S801). S810). If the threshold value Th1 is exceeded, the process returns to step S801 because the change in step S801 is not due to a left click operation. If this is a left-click operation, the threshold Th1 is exceeded by the photosensor 112a by swinging the index finger from the state where the index finger is suspended in the air as shown in FIG. 22, so that a predetermined signal level is obtained in step S801. This is based on the fact that the timing before the increase is lower than the threshold Th1.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S810 is that the threshold value Th1 or less, there is a possibility that a left click operation is about to be performed. Therefore, the operation determination processing unit 1141 sets a value of 1 to the counter iy (step S811), and determines whether the signal level X of the photosensor 112a at the timing tk + ii is equal to or less than the threshold Th1 (step S812). As a result of the determination, if it is equal to or less than the threshold value Th1, the time until it returns to the threshold value Th1 is too early. This is based on the fact that if it is a left-click operation, it takes a certain amount of time after the index finger is swung down and the front desk of the device is struck with the index finger until the index finger is returned to the original position again. .

On the other hand, if it is not less than the threshold Th1, the value of the counter iy is incremented by 1 (step S813), and it is determined whether the value of the counter iy has become p (step S814). The p indicates a standby period for determining whether the increase in the signal level X detected in step S801 is based on the left click operation. If the value of the counter iy is not p, the process returns to step S812 and the determination process is continued.

On the other hand, when the value of the counter iy is p, the value of 1 is set in the second counter ix (step S815), and the signal level X of the electric signal obtained by the photosensor 112a at the timing tk + p + ix is set. It is determined whether it is equal to or less than the threshold Th1 (step S816). When the threshold value is less than or equal to the threshold Th1, it can be considered that the finger has been removed from the front of the photosensor 112a because the finger that has been shaken down is returned to its original position, which can be regarded as a so-called click operation. The operation determination processing unit 1141 determines that the left click operation has been performed, and the operation information generation processing unit 1142 generates first click information indicating that the left click has been performed (step S819).

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S816 is that the signal level exceeds the threshold value Th1, it indicates that the index finger is still in front of the photosensor 112a, so the value of the counter ix is incremented by one. (Step S817), it is determined whether the value of the incremented counter ix is q (step SS818).

When the value of the counter ix is q, it indicates that the time from when the increase of the signal level X is detected in step S801 until the index finger is removed from the front of the photosensor 112a is too long. According to step S801, Assuming that the increase in the signal level X is not due to the left click operation, the process returns to step S801. On the other hand, if the value of the counter ix is not q, it is determined that it is still within the determination period, and the process returns to step S816.

Next, FIG. 59 will be described. When it is determined in step S802 that the amount of change R1 has decreased, the operation determination processing unit 1141 determines whether the signal level X at the timing tk−1, which is the previous timing, is equal to or higher than the threshold Th1 (step S1). S820). If the threshold value Th1 is not reached, the change in step S802 is determined not to be due to the left click operation, and the process returns to step S801. If this is a left-click operation, since the index finger is pulled up from the state where the index finger is placed in front of the photo sensor 112a as shown in FIG. 6, the photo sensor 112a falls below the threshold value Th1, so that a predetermined value is set in step S802. This is based on the fact that the timing before the decrease in the signal level is higher than the threshold Th1.

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S820 is greater than or equal to the threshold Th1, there is a possibility that a left click operation is about to be performed. Therefore, the operation determination processing unit 1141 sets a value of 1 to the counter iy (step S821), and determines whether the signal level X of the photosensor 112a at the timing tk + ii is equal to or higher than the threshold Th1 (step S822). As a result of the determination, if it is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1, the time until it returns to the threshold value Th1 is too early. This is based on the fact that if it is a left click operation, it takes a predetermined time from when the index finger is lifted and removed from the front of the photo sensor 112a until the index finger is swung down and returned to its original position. Is.

On the other hand, if it is not equal to or greater than the threshold Th1, the value of the counter iy is incremented by 1 (step S823), and it is determined whether the value of the counter iy has become s (step S824). The s indicates a waiting period for determining whether the decrease in the signal level X detected in step S802 is based on the left click operation. If the value of the counter iy is not s, the process returns to step S822 and the determination process is continued.

The reason why s different from p in FIG. 58 is set as the standby parameter is that the time required for completing the operation differs between the left click operation according to FIG. 6 and the left click operation according to FIG. However, in order to simplify the process, p and s may be set to the same value.

On the other hand, when the value of the counter iy is s, the value of 1 is set in the second counter ix (step S825), and the signal level X of the electric signal obtained by the photosensor 112a at the timing tk + s + ix is set. It is determined whether or not the threshold value is Th1 or more (step S826). When the threshold Th1 is greater than or equal to the threshold Th1, it can be considered that the index finger that has been raised is swung down and returned to the original location, and thus returned to the front of the photosensor 112a, which can be regarded as a so-called click operation. Therefore, the operation determination processing unit 1141 determines that the left click operation has been performed, and the operation information generation processing unit 1142 generates first click information indicating that the left click has been performed (step S829).

On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S816 is that the signal level is below the threshold Th1, it indicates that the index finger is still out of the front of the photosensor 112a, so the value of the counter ix is incremented by one. (Step S827), it is determined whether the value of the incremented counter ix is t (Step SS828).

When the value of the counter ix is t, it indicates that the time from when the decrease in the signal level X is detected in step S802 until the index finger returns to the front of the photosensor 112a is too long. According to step S802, Since the decrease in the signal level X is not due to the left click operation, the process returns to step S801. On the other hand, if the value of the counter ix is not t, it is determined that it is still within the determination period, and the process returns to step S826.

Through the processes of FIGS. 57 to 59, it can be determined whether the left click operation has been performed. Based on the determination result, the left click operation is captured, and the left click operation has been performed. The first click information shown can be generated and transmitted to the computer.

In FIG. 57 to FIG. 59, the case where the processing based on whether the threshold value Th1 is exceeded or below has been described has been described, but stepwise determination may be performed using a plurality of threshold values ThN. Further, it is better to determine whether the left click is performed according to the processing flow of FIG. 57, FIG. 60, and FIG. 61 based on whether the threshold Th1 ≦ X ≦ the threshold Th2 is satisfied, not the threshold Th1 or more. It is. Since the index finger body temperature is 35 ° C. to 40 ° C., the lower limit and the upper limit of the signal level corresponding to the temperature are preferably Th1 and Th2, respectively.

Note that the determination process related to the right-click operation can be performed by the processes shown in FIGS. The right click can be omitted because it cannot be assumed that the normal position corresponding to FIGS. 58 and 60 is out of the detection area of the photosensor 112. 62 and 63, the target electric signal is the signal level Y of the electric signal obtained by the photosensor 112b, and the standby parameters in steps S914 and S918 are v and w. Since the determination process is the same as the determination process in the left click, the description is omitted. The waiting parameter is different because the right click with the middle finger is a more relaxed operation than the left click with the index finger. Therefore, it is necessary to use larger values for v and w than the waiting parameters s and t. It is because it is effective in raising.

The drag operation may be determined based on whether or not a finger contact is detected by the touch sensor 201 disposed near the center of the front side surface 106. For example, it is determined whether a drag operation has been performed according to the determination process shown in FIG.

The operation determination processing unit 1141 determines whether a contact operation on the touch sensor 201 is detected at a predetermined timing tk (step S1001). The touch sensor 201 detects a user's contact by replacing a change in capacitance or a change in resistance value with an electrical signal. If contact is not detected by the touch sensor 201, the process returns to step S1001 and the same processing is performed at the next timing.

If contact is detected as a result of the determination in step S1001, it is determined whether contact continues at the next timing tk + 1 (step S1002). If the contact is released at the timing tk + 1, it is determined that the operation is erroneous because it is detected that the contact with the finger is accidentally detected, and the process returns to step S1001. Note that step S1002 may be repeated over a length of about 0.05 seconds to 0.2 seconds. The longer it is, the more the erroneous operation can be eliminated, but the pointing device response to the drag operation becomes worse. In view of these circumstances, the value of the standby parameter may be set. Preferably it is 0.05 second-0.1 second.

If it is determined in step S1002 that the contact is continuing, the operation determination processing unit 1141 determines that a drag operation is being performed, and the operation information generation processing unit 1142 generates drag information (step S1003). . The drag information is information indicating that a drag operation has started.

Next, the operation determination processing unit 1141 determines whether the drag operation is continued at the next timing, that is, whether the touch is continuously detected by the touch sensor 201 (step S1004). If it is determined that the contact is continuing, the determination process of step S1004 is performed again at the next timing.

On the other hand, if the contact has not continued, the operation determination processing unit 1141 determines that the drag operation has ended, and the operation information generation processing unit 1142 generates drag information indicating that the drag operation has ended ( Step S1005). Thereafter, the process returns to step S1001 again to prepare for the next drag operation.

In order to prevent the left click operation and the drag operation from colliding, in one of the determination processes, a determination step for determining whether the other operation is performed is added, and the other operation is performed in the determination step. If it is determined, the subsequent determination process may be stopped and the next operation may be waited.

Note that in the pointing device described above, when the entire device is formed of a transparent acrylic panel or the like, an opening is not necessary, and a photosensor may be disposed at the opening position. Further, the photo sensor may be arranged in a bare shape on the front side surface 106.

The pointing device of the present invention described above is a mouse because it has an input button for inputting selection and determination instructions and means for generating and outputting information related to cursor movement.

Also, in the above description, a case has been described in which a determination process for determining whether a predetermined operation has been performed in the pointing device based on an electrical signal obtained by the photosensor, or a generation process for generating operation information indicating the predetermined operation content is performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, it is possible to install the driver on the computer side and perform the determination process and the generation process on the computer side. In this case, an electrical signal obtained by each sensor arranged in the pointing device is wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication unit to the computer as a detection signal for detecting the user's operation. The computer that has received the detection signal performs a determination process based on the determination process described above to determine whether the user action indicated by the detection signal is a predetermined operation such as a click or a drag. In this case, the driver and the pointing device installed in the computer can be regarded as a pointing system as a whole.

Further, the corners and sides of the device housing may be appropriately chamfered. Besides, the left side surface 103 and the right side surface 104 may be provided with curved depressions so as to be easily held.

In addition, the present invention can be configured as follows.
(Appendix 1)
A rectangular bottom having a long side length of 40 mm to 100 mm and a short side length of 10 mm to 40 mm;
On the first short side of the bottom surface, a left side surface standing substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface;
On the second short side of the bottom surface, a right side surface standing substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface;
A rear side surface provided on the first long side of the bottom surface;
A front side surface provided on the second long side of the bottom surface;
A top surface facing the bottom surface substantially in parallel with an interval of 5 mm to 30 mm;
At least as a housing,
A photosensor for converting light into an electrical signal at a predetermined position on the front side surface;
A click determination unit that determines whether a click operation has been performed based on an electrical signal obtained by the photosensor;
A click information generation unit that generates click information when it is determined that the click operation has been performed;
A wireless transmission unit for wirelessly transmitting at least the click information;
A pointing device comprising:
(Appendix 2)
The photosensor is
A first photosensor disposed at a first position on the front side surface;
A second photosensor disposed at a second position on the front side surface;
With
The click determination unit
A first click determination unit that determines whether a left click operation has been performed based on an electrical signal obtained by the first photosensor;
A second click determination unit for determining whether a right click operation has been performed based on an electrical signal obtained by the second photosensor;
With
The click information generation unit
When it is determined that the left click operation or the right click operation has been performed, left click information or right click information is generated,
The wireless transmitter is
Wirelessly transmitting at least the left click information and the right click information;
The pointing device according to attachment 1.
(Appendix 3)
A storage unit for storing electrical signals obtained by the photosensor at predetermined intervals;
The click determination unit determines that a click operation has been performed when the signal level of the electrical signal returns from the first level band to the second level band and then returns to the first level band within a predetermined period. Characterized by the
The pointing device according to appendix 1 or 2.
(Appendix 4)
A first touch sensor for detecting contact on the front side surface;
A drag determination unit that determines that a drag operation has been performed when contact is detected by the touch sensor;
A drag information generation unit that generates drag information indicating that a drag operation has been performed;
Further comprising
The wireless transmission unit wirelessly transmits the drag information.
The pointing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3.
(Appendix 5)
The drag determination unit determines that a drag operation has been performed when contact is detected by the first touch sensor for a predetermined waiting period or longer;
The pointing device according to appendix 4.
(Appendix 6)
When the photosensor detects infrared rays, it is determined that a drag operation has been performed when the signal level of an electrical signal obtained by the photosensor is equal to or higher than a first threshold, and the photosensor detects visible light. A drag determination unit that determines that a drag operation has been performed when the signal level of the electrical signal obtained by the photosensor is equal to or lower than a second threshold;
A drag information generation unit that generates drag information indicating that a drag operation has been performed;
Further comprising
The wireless transmission unit wirelessly transmits the drag information.
The pointing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3.
(Appendix 7)
An environment detection photo sensor for detecting an external light irradiation environment;
A light source disposed on the front side surface;
A light source control unit that performs control to turn on the light source when a signal level of an electrical signal obtained by the environment detection photosensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold;
The pointing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 6, further comprising:
(Appendix 8)
Any one of appendices 1 to 7, further comprising a projection mechanism that projects an image showing an operation detection area at a position of 0 mm <L <30 mm from the front side surface in front of the photosensor. The pointing device according to item.
(Appendix 9)
A determination algorithm used for determining whether or not the click operation has been performed or a setting means for setting variable data used in the determination algorithm;
The click determination unit determines whether the click operation has been performed based on a signal level of an electric signal obtained by the photosensor, using the determination algorithm or the variable data set by the setting unit. It is characterized by
The pointing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 8.
(Appendix 10)
A second touch sensor for detecting contact on the upper surface;
A scroll operation determination unit that determines whether a scroll operation has been performed based on a movement of the contact position detected by the second touch sensor in a short direction of the upper surface;
A scroll information generation unit that generates scroll information including a scroll direction and a scroll amount when it is determined that the scroll operation has been performed;
Further comprising
The wireless transmission unit wirelessly transmits the scroll information.
The pointing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 9.
(Appendix 11)
A second light source on the upper surface;
The pointing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 10, further comprising a second light source control unit that performs control to turn on the second light source when it is determined that the click operation has been performed. .
(Appendix 12)
The second light source control unit performs control to blink the second light source when it is determined that the drag operation is performed.
The pointing device according to attachment 11.

  The pointing device and the computer according to the present invention can be used as a mobile computer that is mainly assumed to be carried and a pointing device incorporated in the mobile computer.

100 Pointing device 101 Bottom surface 102 Top surface 103 Left side surface 104 Right side surface 105 Rear side surface 106 Front side surface 107 Opening (for movement detection)
108 Power switch 109 Electrical terminal (connector connector)
110 opening (for operation detection) 110a first opening 110b second opening 111 movement detection unit 111a lens 111b LED
111c solid-state image sensor 111d DSP
112 Photosensor 112a First photosensor 112b Second photosensor 113 Touch sensor 114 Information processing unit (information processing unit) 114a Processor 114b RAM (Random
Access Memory) 114c ROM (Read Only Memory)
1141 Operation determination processing unit
1141a First click operation determination processing unit 1141b Second click operation determination processing unit 1141c Scroll operation determination processing unit 1142 Operation information generation processing unit 1142a First click information generation processing unit 1142b Second click information generation processing unit 1142c Scroll information generation processing unit 1142d movement information generation processing unit 1143 dominant arm determination processing unit (mode determination unit)
115 wireless communication unit (wireless communication unit) 116 battery 117 changeover switch 200 pointing device 201 touch sensor 202 pressure sensor 2141a drag operation determination processing unit 2142a drag information generation processing unit 300 pointing device 301 light source (light emitter)
301a light source 301b light source 302 light source control circuit (light source control unit) 303 mode determination unit 400 pointing device 401 projection light source 411 projection first button 412 projection second button 500 pointing device 501 setting start notification receiving unit 502 setting end notification receiving unit 503 Setting processing control unit 504 Sensor information transmission unit 505 Setting information reception unit 506 Setting information storage unit 507 Operation information transmission unit 600 Pointing device 601 Light source 601a Light source (for first button) 601b Light source (for second button)
602 Light source control circuit (light source control unit) 603 Tilt sensor 604 Acceleration sensor 10 Computer 11 Setting start instruction input unit 12 Setting screen display unit 13 Setting start notification transmission unit 14 Time measurement unit 15 Setting end notification transmission unit 16 Sensor information reception unit 17 Sensor information storage unit 18 Setting information generation processing unit 181 Determination algorithm selection unit 182 Determination parameter determination unit 19 Setting information transmission unit 20 Operation information reception unit

Claims (12)

A rectangular bottom having a long side length of 40 mm to 100 mm and a short side length of 10 mm to 40 mm;
On the first short side of the bottom surface, a left side surface standing substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface;
On the second short side of the bottom surface, a right side surface standing substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface;
A rear side surface provided on the first long side of the bottom surface;
A front side surface provided on the second long side of the bottom surface;
A top surface facing the bottom surface substantially in parallel with an interval of 5 mm to 30 mm;
At least as a housing,
A photosensor for converting light into an electrical signal at a predetermined position on the front side surface;
A click determination unit that determines whether a click operation has been performed based on an electrical signal obtained by the photosensor;
A click information generation unit that generates click information when it is determined that the click operation has been performed;
A wireless transmission unit for wirelessly transmitting at least the click information;
A pointing device comprising: The photosensor is
A first photosensor disposed at a first position on the front side surface;
A second photosensor disposed at a second position on the front side surface;
With
The click determination unit
A first click determination unit that determines whether a left click operation has been performed based on an electrical signal obtained by the first photosensor;
A second click determination unit for determining whether a right click operation has been performed based on an electrical signal obtained by the second photosensor;
With
The click information generation unit
When it is determined that the left click operation or the right click operation has been performed, left click information or right click information is generated,
The wireless transmitter is
Wirelessly transmitting at least the left click information and the right click information;
The pointing device according to claim 1. A storage unit for storing electrical signals obtained by the photosensor at predetermined intervals;
The click determination unit determines that a click operation has been performed when the signal level of the electrical signal returns from the first level band to the second level band and then returns to the first level band within a predetermined period. Characterized by the
The pointing device according to claim 1 or 2. A first touch sensor for detecting contact on the front side surface;
A drag determination unit that determines that a drag operation has been performed when contact is detected by the touch sensor;
A drag information generation unit that generates drag information indicating that a drag operation has been performed;
Further comprising
The wireless transmission unit wirelessly transmits the drag information.
The pointing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The drag determination unit determines that a drag operation has been performed when contact is detected by the first touch sensor for a predetermined waiting period or longer;
The pointing device according to claim 4. When the photosensor detects infrared rays, it is determined that a drag operation has been performed when the signal level of an electrical signal obtained by the photosensor is equal to or higher than a first threshold, and the photosensor detects visible light. A drag determination unit that determines that a drag operation has been performed when the signal level of the electrical signal obtained by the photosensor is equal to or lower than a second threshold;
A drag information generation unit that generates drag information indicating that a drag operation has been performed;
Further comprising
The wireless transmission unit wirelessly transmits the drag information.
The pointing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An environment detection photo sensor for detecting an external light irradiation environment;
A light source disposed on the front side surface;
A light source control unit that performs control to turn on the light source when a signal level of an electrical signal obtained by the environment detection photosensor is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold;
The pointing device according to claim 1, further comprising: 8. The projection mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a projection mechanism that projects an image showing an operation detection area at a position in front of the photosensor and at a distance of 0 mm <L <30 mm from the front side surface. The pointing device according to item 1. A determination algorithm used for determining whether or not the click operation has been performed or a setting means for setting variable data used in the determination algorithm;
The click determination unit determines whether the click operation has been performed based on a signal level of an electric signal obtained by the photosensor, using the determination algorithm or the variable data set by the setting unit. It is characterized by
The pointing device according to claim 1. A second touch sensor for detecting contact on the upper surface;
A scroll operation determination unit that determines whether a scroll operation has been performed based on a movement of the contact position detected by the second touch sensor in a short direction of the upper surface;
A scroll information generation unit that generates scroll information including a scroll direction and a scroll amount when it is determined that the scroll operation has been performed;
Further comprising
The wireless transmission unit wirelessly transmits the scroll information.
The pointing device according to claim 1. A second light source on the upper surface;
11. The pointing according to claim 1, further comprising: a second light source control unit that performs control to turn on the second light source when it is determined that the click operation has been performed. device. The second light source control unit performs control to blink the second light source when it is determined that the drag operation is performed.
The pointing device according to claim 11.