JP2014194824A - Touch-panel input assistance device and input device with touch-panel input assistance device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch-panel input assistance device which allows installation of a push-button input sheet (input interface) fitting on sensing areas of a touch panel, with a simple procedure.SOLUTION: A plurality of removable push-button input sheets 20 are installed on an input device 10 having a touch panel 1. Each of the push-button input sheets 20 has buttons 21 corresponding to sensing areas 2(2A/2B) of the touch panel 1.

Description

  The present invention relates to an input auxiliary device that enables a conventional button type input method on a touch panel type input device.

In mobile communication devices, portable electronic devices, game machines, etc., touch panel type input devices are used.
In such a touch panel type input device, the input operation corresponds to the operation explanation on the screen, and an intuitively easy operation is possible and the screen display can be sequentially switched. There is an advantage that various operation instructions are possible.

  However, the touch panel type input device can realize an intuitive and free interface, but unlike the button type input device, the panel portion has a flat shape without a physical convex button, so there is no click feeling. There were problems such as the operator touching the wrong place. In addition, although the conventional button type input devices can provide a good click feeling, there is a problem that the arrangement and type of buttons cannot be freely changed on the user side as in the touch panel type.

And in order to cope with such a problem, the input device of patent documents 1 and 2 is provided.
Patent Document 1 discloses a keyboard unit that is installed on the surface of a transparent touch panel and covers a part of the input surface of the transparent touch panel, and allows an input operation to the transparent touch panel via keys of the keyboard unit. .
Patent Document 2 discloses a visual tactile UI panel having a plurality of layers each having a plurality of transparent deformable portions that are deformed into a predetermined shape by injecting and discharging a fluid. By supplying or discharging the fluid, a convex key corresponding to the image on the display panel can be formed.

JP 2001-1225739 A JP 2009-64357 A

  As described above, in order to obtain a click feeling of a physical button, in Patent Document 1, a keyboard unit that covers a part of the input surface of the transparent touch panel is provided, but such a keyboard unit is uniform. Therefore, when the sensing area of the transparent touch panel is changed, there is a problem that it cannot cope with this.

  In Cited Document 2, a convex key can be formed according to the image on the display panel. However, it is necessary to supply or discharge a fluid through a pump, which complicates the overall configuration of the apparatus. there were.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and is a touch panel input auxiliary device that enables a button type input sheet (input interface) that matches the sensing area of the touch panel to be installed by a simple method and the touch panel. An input device having an input assist device is provided.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means. That is, the touch panel input assist device of the present invention includes a plurality of button type input sheets that can be attached to and detached from an input device having a touch panel, and each button type input sheet has a button corresponding to the sensing area of the touch panel. It is characterized by.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the button type input sheet which has a button corresponding to the sensing area of a touch panel can be selected from several, and can be attached to this touch panel. Thereby, when changing the sensing area of a touch panel, it can respond easily by exchanging a button type input sheet, and it becomes possible to install a button type input sheet according to a use scene.
That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to install buttons and change the type of the button-type input sheet (input interface) corresponding to the sensing area of the touch panel by a simple method.
Further, in the present invention, by selecting a button type input sheet corresponding to the sensing area of the touch panel and attaching it to the touch panel, it is possible to input to both the button / touch panel according to the scene on the touch panel. In addition, since data can be input to the touch panel via the button type input sheet, data can be input with a good click feeling.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole touchscreen type input device. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attaches the touchscreen input auxiliary device which concerns on this invention to the touchscreen type input device of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the sensing area setting process at the time of attaching a touchscreen input auxiliary device to the touchscreen of FIG. 1, and a data input process. It is a perspective view which shows the other example (1) of the touchscreen input auxiliary device shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the other example (2) of the touchscreen input auxiliary device shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the other example (3) of the touchscreen input auxiliary device shown by FIG.

An embodiment of a touch panel input assist device according to the present invention and an input device provided with the touch panel input assist device will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an input device 10 having a touch panel 1. The input device 10 is applied to, for example, a mobile communication device, a portable electronic device, and a game machine.
On the touch panel 1 of the input device 10, there are specific sensing areas 2 (2 </ b> A and 2 </ b> B) to be touched by the operator. On the touch panel 1 including the sensing area 2, image information display (operation instruction image, Character / numerical value input image) is shown from a control unit (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the input device 10 includes a button-type input sheet 20 serving as a touch panel input auxiliary device in a detachable manner at the lower end portion 11 and on the touch panel 1.
The button-type input sheet 20 has a convex button (operation button) 21 made of an elastic body corresponding to the sensing area 2 of the touch panel 1, and a plurality of types are prepared according to the type and form of the button 21. Yes. FIG. 2 shows one of a plurality of button-type input sheets 20, and the button-type input sheet 20 is provided with a button 21 including a cross key 21 </ b> A and number / character input keys 21 </ b> B. Further, such a button type input sheet 20 is attached to the touch panel 1 by contact friction. In FIG. 2, the button-type input sheet 20 having the button 21 including the cross key 21 </ b> A and the number / character input key 21 </ b> B has been described, but a plurality of other button-type input sheets 20 are illustrated in FIGS. As shown in (described later), buttons 21 having different arrangement patterns are provided.

  In such an input device 10, the image information is displayed on the touch panel 1, and the screen touched by the operator touching the area directly displayed on the screen of the touch panel 1 to apply pressure. The position information is sensed and output to the outside as an information signal. Further, when the operator presses the button 21 of the button type input sheet 20 with the button type input sheet 20 serving as a touch panel input auxiliary device being pasted on the touch panel 1, the bottom surface of the button 21 is displayed. Touches the sensing region 2 of the touch panel 1 so that data can be input to the input device 10. At this time, the button 21 of the button-type input sheet 20 is deformed, so that data can be indirectly input to the sensing area 2 (2A and 2B) of the touch panel 1 while the operator's fingertip feels a click.

Next, a sensing area setting process and a data input process when the button type input sheet 20 is attached to the touch panel 1 of the input device 10 of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In such a setting operation, the sensing area 2 (2A, 2B) of the touch panel 1 is selected corresponding to the button 21 (cross key 21A, number / character input key 21B) of the plurality of button type input sheets 20. Setting information on how to react is stored in advance.

First, the operator wears a button-type input sheet 20 serving as a touch panel input auxiliary device on the touch panel 1 of the input device 10 serving as a mobile phone terminal (step S1). At this time, the button-type input sheet 20 is pasted on the specific area 3 in the touch panel 1 (the lower area of the touch panel 1 in FIG. 2), so that the sensing area 2 (reference numeral 2A) corresponding to the button 21 of the button-type input sheet 20 is attached. (Indicated by 2B) is set (step S2).
Here, the sensing area 2 (2A, 2B) on the touch panel 1 corresponding to the button 21 of the button type input sheet 20 is, for example, a range and position where the button type input sheet 20 covers the specific area 3 on the touch panel 1. Based on the above, it is assumed that a control unit (not shown) selects and sets from a plurality of setting information stored in advance. Further, for example, the button-type input sheet 20 may be configured to be provided with a chip or code having identification information provided to each button-type input sheet 20 and provided with a sensor that reads the identification information in the input device 10.

Then, after the button-type input sheet 20 serving as a touch panel input auxiliary device is mounted on the touch panel 1 of the input device 10, when the button 21 of the button-type input sheet 20 mounted on the touch panel 1 is pressed (step S3), the button 21 is deformed and pressure is applied to the specific sensing area 2 (2A, 2B) on the touch panel 1 corresponding to the position of the pressed button 21 via the button-type input sheet 20 (step S4). Data is input to the device 10 (step S5).
Thereafter, data input processing by the operator is performed by repeating the processing of steps S3 to S5.

As described above in detail, in the input device 10 shown in the present embodiment, the button-type input sheet 20 having the button 21 corresponding to the sensing area 2 of the touch panel 1 is selected from a plurality and attached to the touch panel 1. be able to. As a result, when the sensing area 2 of the touch panel 1 is changed, the button-type input sheet 20 corresponding to the sensing area 2 can be easily replaced, and the button-type input sheet 20 can be installed according to the usage scene. It becomes.
That is, in the input device 10 of the present embodiment, the button type input sheet 20 (input interface) corresponding to the sensing area 2 of the touch panel 1 can be installed and the type can be changed by a simple method.
Further, in the input device 10 of the present embodiment, by selecting the button type input sheet 20 corresponding to the sensing area 2 of the touch panel 1 and attaching it to the touch panel 1, both the button / touch panel according to the scene on the touch panel 1. Can be input.

  In the above embodiment, the button type input sheet 20 in which the button 21 is provided on one sheet has been described. However, such a button type input sheet 20 is fitted to the lower end portion 11 of the input device 10. The form which has the fitting part 22 to be sufficient may be sufficient. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the fitting portion 22 is formed in a box-like body so that the lower end portion 11 of the input device 10 is inserted, and an input is made inside the box-like body. The button-type input sheet 20 can be configured to be fixed to the sensing area 2 of the touch panel 1 by fitting the lower end portion 11 of the device 10.

  The button 21 of the button-type input sheet 20 shown in the above embodiment is not limited to the cross key 21A and the numeric / character input key 21B. Also good. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the cross key 21A may be abolished and only two sets of numeric / character input keys 21B may be configured, or as shown in FIG. The input key 21C may be configured, and the form of the key can be freely set.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.

  The present invention relates to a touch panel input auxiliary device applied to a touch panel type input device such as a mobile communication device, a portable electronic device, and a game machine.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Touch panel 2 (2A / 2B) Sensing area 10 Input device 11 Lower end part (one end part)
20 Button type input sheet (touch panel input assist device)
21 button 21A cross key 21B numeric / character input key 22 fitting part

Claims (5)

A plurality of button type input sheets that can be attached to and detached from an input device having a touch panel,
Each of the button type input sheets has a button corresponding to a sensing area of the touch panel, respectively.   The touch-panel input auxiliary device according to claim 1, wherein the button-type input sheet has a fitting portion that is fitted to one end of the input device having the touch panel.   3. The touch panel input assist device according to claim 1, wherein the button type input sheet has at least one of a cross key and a number / character input key. A touch panel;
An input device comprising: the touch panel input auxiliary device according to claim 1.   The input device according to claim 4, wherein when the button type input sheet is attached to the touch panel, a setting change process is performed on a sensing area of the touch panel according to the button type input sheet.

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