JP2015032276A - Instruction input device, instruction input detection method, program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an instruction input device which accepts a plurality of types of instruction inputs on the basis of a pressing force to a touch panel, and properly determines user's instruction input.SOLUTION: The instruction input device includes a contact range detection unit 31 that detects a contact range of a user's finger on a touch panel, and a determination unit 35 that determines the content of instruction input from the user according to a change level of the contact range.

Description

  The present invention relates to an instruction input device and an instruction input detection method for receiving a plurality of types of instruction inputs corresponding to the strength level of a pressing force applied to a touch panel.

  Conventionally, a touch panel has been widely used as an instruction input device provided in various FA (factory automation) devices and an instruction input device provided in various electronic devices such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, and a media player.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a touch panel that outputs different driving signals according to the contact area of a finger with the touch panel.

JP 2012-48279 A (published March 8, 2012)

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, a drive signal different from the operation content intended by the user may be output depending on conditions such as the thickness of the user's finger.

  That is, when the contact area is set to be determined to be a strong press operation when the contact area is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and to be determined to be a weak press operation when the contact area is less than the threshold value, An operation performed by the user with the intention of a weak pressing operation is erroneously determined as a strong pressing operation, or conversely, an operation performed by a user with a thin finger, such as a child, with the intention of a strong pressing operation is performed as a weak pressing operation. It may be misjudged.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an instruction input device that accepts a plurality of types of instruction inputs according to the strength level of the pressing force with respect to the touch panel. It is to judge appropriately.

  An instruction input device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a contact detection unit that detects at least one of a contact range and a contact strength of a user's finger or an indicator with respect to a touch panel, and a change degree of the contact range or the contact strength. And an instruction determination unit that determines the contents of the instruction input from the user.

  According to the above configuration, the content of the instruction input from the user is determined based on the comparison result between the contact range or the detected value of the contact intensity itself and the threshold value, and the condition such as the thickness of the user's finger is affected. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine the instruction input content intended by the user.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the apparatus provided with the instruction | indication input device concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the operation detection part with which the instruction | indication input apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the touchscreen with which the instruction | indication input device shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. (A)-(c) is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the electrode member for a contact detection with which the touch panel shown in FIG. 3 is equipped. It is explanatory drawing which shows the calculation method of the contact position with respect to the touchscreen in the instruction | indication input device shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the calculation method of the contact range with respect to the touchscreen in the instruction | indication input device shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the operation intensity level with respect to a touchscreen, and a contact range. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the detection process of the operation intensity level with respect to the touchscreen in the instruction | indication input device shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the operation detection part with which the instruction | indication input device concerning other embodiment of this invention is equipped. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the detection process of the operation intensity level with respect to the touchscreen in the instruction | indication input device concerning other embodiment of this invention.

Embodiment 1
An embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(1-1. Overall configuration)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an FA (Factory Automation) device 1 including an instruction input device 4 according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the FA device 1 includes a device function control unit 2, a device function unit 3, and an instruction input device 4, and responds to an instruction input from a user input via the instruction input device 4. The device function control unit 2 controls the operation of the device function unit 3.

  The device function control unit 2 transmits screen data of an operation screen for a user to perform an operation input to the instruction input device 4 to be displayed on the display panel 6 of the instruction input device 4 and from the instruction input device 4 to the touch panel 8. A signal corresponding to a user's instruction input is received, and the operation of the device function unit 3 is controlled according to the received signal. The device function unit 3 executes various device functions (such as processing of various product manufacturing processes) that the FA device 1 has.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the instruction input device 4 is provided in the FA device 1 will be described. However, the configuration of the device in which the instruction input device 4 is mounted is not limited to this, and the instruction input device 4 is Any device that performs an operation in accordance with an instruction input from the user via the terminal can be used. For example, various electronic devices such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, and a media player may be used. Home appliances such as a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, a telephone, a TV, and a video, and their remote control devices It may be an ATM (automated teller machine), a vending machine, a ticket machine, or a multifunction machine.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the instruction input device 4 includes a display control unit 5, a display panel (display device) 6, an operation detection unit 7, and a touch panel 8.

  The display control unit 5 controls the operation of the display panel 6 and causes the display panel 6 to display an operation screen according to an instruction from the device function control unit 2.

  The display panel 6 displays an operation screen according to an instruction from the display control unit 5. The configuration of the display panel 6 is not particularly limited as long as the operation screen corresponding to the touch panel 8 can be displayed. For example, a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL display panel, a plasma display panel, or the like is used. Can do.

  The operation detection unit 7 generates a signal corresponding to a user operation input to the touch panel 8 and outputs the signal to the device function control unit 2.

  The touch panel 8 is for receiving an operation input from the user, and is attached on the display screen of the display panel 6.

  In the present embodiment, as the touch panel 8, a projection type and mutual capacitance type touch panel which is a kind of electrostatic capacity method is used. However, the configuration of the touch panel 8 may be any configuration that can detect at least the contact range of a user's finger (or an instruction input member such as a pen) with respect to the touch panel 8. For example, a projection type self-capacitance type touch panel may be used, or a surface type touch panel may be used. Further, not only the electrostatic capacity method but also a touch panel such as a resistance film method or an electromagnetic method may be used.

(1-2. Configuration of operation detection unit)
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the operation detection unit 7, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the touch panel 8.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the touch panel 8 is attached to a position overlapping the display screen of the display panel 6 as viewed from the user side. The first substrate 41, the first electrode layer 42, and the first electrode layer 42 are sequentially arranged from the display panel 6 side. The two substrates 43, the second electrode layer 44, and the front cover 45 are stacked.

  The first substrate 41 is a substrate made of a transparent material, and is attached on the display surface of the display panel 6. The material of the 1st board | substrate 41 will not be specifically limited if it is a transparent material, For example, glass etc. can be used.

  The first electrode layer 42 is provided on the surface side of the first substrate 41 (the side opposite to the display panel 6), and is parallel to the substrate surface of the first substrate 41 as shown in FIG. A number of first electrode lines 42a extending in the first direction (X direction) are provided. Each first electrode line 42 a is connected to the first scan unit 11 provided in the operation detection unit 7.

  Each of the first electrode lines 42a has a wiring portion 42b extending in the first direction, and a large number of substantially rhombus shapes arranged along the extending direction of the wiring portion 42b and electrically connected to the wiring portion 42b. The electrode part 42c is provided. Although the space | interval of the wiring parts 42b is not specifically limited, For example, it sets to about 5 mm-10 mm.

  In addition, the wiring part 42b and the electrode part 42c may be integrally formed by the same manufacturing process. The material of the first electrode line 42a is not particularly limited as long as it is a transparent material having conductivity. For example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) can be used.

  Similar to the first substrate 41, the second substrate 43 is a substrate made of a transparent material, and is disposed so as to face the first substrate 41 with the first electrode layer 42 interposed therebetween.

  The second electrode layer 44 is formed on the surface side of the second substrate 43 (the side opposite to the first electrode layer 12), and as shown in FIG. 4B, the first direction (X direction). A large number of second electrode lines 44a extending in the second direction (Y direction) intersecting the line are provided. Each second electrode line 44 a is connected to the second scan unit 12 provided in the operation detection unit 7.

  Each of the second electrode lines 44a has a wiring portion 44b extending in the second direction and a number of substantially rhombus shapes arranged along the extending direction of the wiring portion 44b and electrically connected to the wiring portion 44b. The electrode part 44c is provided. Although the space | interval of the wiring parts 42b is not specifically limited, For example, it sets to about 5 mm-10 mm.

  In addition, each electrode portion 44c of the second electrode layer 44, when viewed from the normal direction of the substrate surface of the first substrate 41 and the second substrate 43, as shown in FIG. The electrode portions 42c are formed so as to be alternately arranged in the first direction and the second direction.

  In addition, the wiring part 44b and the electrode part 44c may be integrally formed by the same manufacturing process. Further, the material of the second electrode line 44a is not particularly limited as long as it is a transparent material having conductivity. For example, ITO or the like can be used.

  The front cover 45 is disposed so as to face the second substrate 43 with the second electrode layer 44 interposed therebetween, and is disposed on the outermost layer of the touch panel 8. When the user performs an operation on the touch panel 8, the operation is performed by bringing a finger or an indicator into contact with the front cover 45. The material of the front cover 45 is not particularly limited as long as it is a transparent material having an appropriate strength. For example, glass can be used.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the operation detection unit 7 includes a first scan unit 11, a second scan unit 12, an analysis processing unit 13, a storage unit 14, a first buffer 15, and a second buffer 16. The analysis processing unit 13 includes an operation position detection unit (contact detection unit) 21 and an operation intensity level detection unit 22. The operation intensity level detection unit 22 includes a contact range detection unit (contact detection unit) 31, a scan number counting unit 32, a reference value calculation unit 33, a change rate calculation unit (change degree calculation unit) 34, and a determination unit (instruction determination). Part) 35 and a storage control part 36.

  The first scanning unit 11 applies a predetermined drive pulse voltage to each first electrode line 42a and performs a process of detecting the voltage value of each first electrode line 42a line by line (for each first electrode line 42a). And the detection result is transmitted to the analysis processing unit 13.

  The second scanning unit 12 applies a predetermined drive pulse voltage to each second electrode line 44a and performs a process for detecting the voltage value of each second electrode line 44a line by line (for each second electrode line 44a). And the detection result is transmitted to the analysis processing unit 13.

  Based on the voltage values of the first electrode lines 42 a and the second electrode lines 44 a obtained by the first scanning unit 11 and the second scanning unit 12, the analysis processing unit 13 and the user touch position on the touch panel 8. Is detected, and a signal corresponding to the detection result is generated and transmitted to the apparatus function control unit 2. In the present embodiment, the analysis processing unit 13 detects the operation intensity level based on the change rate of the user's contact range with respect to the touch panel 8 (degree of change corresponding to the passage of time). Details of the analysis processing unit 13 will be described later.

  The storage unit 14 stores various parameters used in the processing of the analysis processing unit 13.

  The first buffer 15 stores the calculation result of the contact range of the user in the first direction (X direction) calculated by the processing of the analysis processing unit 13 for a predetermined number of scans. Note that the process of detecting the voltage values once for all the second electrode lines 44a is a single scan process in the first direction (X direction).

  The second buffer 16 stores a calculation result of the contact range of the user in the second direction (Y direction) calculated by the processing of the analysis processing unit 13 for a predetermined number of scans. Note that the process of detecting the voltage values once for all the first electrode lines 42a is a single scan process in the second direction (Y direction).

(1-3. Detection of operation on touch panel)
As shown in FIG. 2, the analysis processing unit 13 detects an operation position (contact position) of the user with respect to the touch panel 8 and detects an operation intensity level of the user with respect to the touch panel 8. Part 22.

(1-3-1. Detection of operation position)
The operation position detector 21 is based on the detection result of the voltage value of each first electrode line 42a by the first scan unit 11 and the detection result of the voltage value of each second electrode line 44a by the second scan unit 12. 8 is detected.

  A predetermined drive pulse voltage is applied to each first electrode line 42a and each second electrode line 44a, and when the user touches the touch panel 8, the electrode part 42c and the electrode disposed at the position touched by the user The capacitance value with the portion 44c changes, and the voltage values of the first electrode line 42a and the second electrode line 44a to which the electrode portions 42c and 44c are connected change. Using this characteristic, the operation position detector 21 detects the contact position of the user's finger (or pointing tool) with respect to the touch panel 8 based on the change in the voltage value of the first electrode line 42a and the second electrode line 44a.

  The operation position detection unit 21 includes the first electrode line 42a having the maximum detected voltage value among the first electrode lines 42a, and the voltage value detected for the adjacent first electrode lines 42a. By performing an interpolation calculation based on the above, coordinates in the second direction (Y direction) of the user's contact position with respect to the touch panel 8 are detected.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the detected voltage values for the (n−1) th, (n) th, and (n + 1) th first electrode lines 42a are A (n−1) and A (n), respectively. , A (n + 1), and A (n) is the maximum value among the voltage values of all the first electrode lines 42a, the electrode pitch between the first electrode lines 42a is PTy, and the (n) th When the position (coordinate value) in the second direction (Y direction) of the one electrode line 42a is Py (n), the position Yp in the second direction (Y direction) of the contact position of the user with respect to the touch panel 8 is expressed by the following formula ( It is calculated by the interpolation calculation shown in 1).
“Yp = Py (n) + PTy / 2 × (A (n + 1) −A (n−1)) / A (n) (1)”
In addition, the operation position detection unit 21 detects the voltage detected for the second electrode line 44a having the maximum detected voltage value and the second electrode lines 44a adjacent to both of the second electrode lines 44a. By performing an interpolation calculation based on the values, the coordinates in the first direction (X direction) of the contact position of the user with the touch panel 8 are detected.

For example, the voltage values detected for the (m−1) th, (m) th, and (m + 1) th second electrode lines 44a are B (m−1), B (m), and B (m + 1), respectively. , B (m) is the maximum value among the voltage values of all the second electrode lines 44a, the electrode pitch between the second electrode lines 44a is PTx, and the first of the (m) th second electrode line 44a. Assuming that the position in the direction (X direction) is Px (m), the position Xp in the first direction (X direction) of the contact position of the user with respect to the touch panel 8 is calculated by the interpolation calculation shown in the following equation (2).
“Xp = Px (m) + PTx / 2 × (B (n + 1) −B (n−1)) / B (n) (2)”
(1-3-2. Detection of operation intensity level)
As shown in FIG. 2, the operation intensity level detection unit 22 includes a contact range detection unit 31, a scan number counting unit 32, a reference value calculation unit 33, a change rate calculation unit 34, a determination unit 35, and a storage control unit 36. And an intensity level of an operation on the touch panel 8 by the user is detected based on a change rate of a contact range on the touch panel 8 by the user.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the operation intensity level (pressing pressure level) of the operation performed on the touch panel 8 by the user is detected as a weak press or a strong press is mainly described. However, the operation intensity level detection unit 22 is described. The operation intensity level detected by is not limited to the two levels of strong pressing and weak pressing, and it may be detected which of the three or more levels belongs.

  The contact range detection unit 31 is based on the detection result of the voltage value of each first electrode line 42a by the first scan unit 11 and the detection result of the voltage value of each second electrode line 44a by the second scan unit 12. 8 is detected.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the contact range detection unit 31 detects each first electrode line 42 a when a voltage value equal to or greater than a predetermined value is detected in a plurality of first electrode lines 42 a adjacent to each other. Is detected as a contact range (contact width) Wy in the second direction (Y direction).

  Similarly, when a voltage value greater than or equal to a predetermined value is detected in the plurality of second electrode lines 44a adjacent to each other, the contact range detection unit 31 sets a region corresponding to each of the second electrode lines 44a in the first direction ( It is detected as a contact range (contact width) Wx in the (X direction). Note that the contact area may be calculated based on the contact widths Wx and Wy in the X direction and the Y direction detected in this way. The predetermined value may be set as appropriate so that contact of the user's finger or pointing tool can be detected. For example, the predetermined value may be set by conducting an experiment in advance.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the contact range (contact width or contact area) of the user's finger with respect to the touch panel 8 changes according to the pressing force with respect to the touch panel 8. However, since there are individual differences in the size of the contact range, an erroneous determination may occur if the operation intensity level is determined based on the value of the contact range itself (the detected value of the contact range at a certain moment). For example, (i) When a person with a thin finger (such as an infant or a woman) operates with the intention to press hard, a person with a thick finger (for example, an adult male) operates with a weak press Or (ii) the contact range when a person with a thick finger (for example, an adult male) operates with the intention of weakly pressing the finger (such as an infant or a woman) ) May be larger than the contact range when the operation is performed with the intention of pushing hard, and an erroneous determination may occur.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the operation intensity level is not determined based on the detected value of the contact range of the user's finger with respect to the touch panel 8 but is determined based on the rate of change (degree of change) of the contact range. To do. Details of the operation intensity level determination process will be described later.

  The scan number counting unit 32 counts the number of executions of the voltage value detection process (scan process) of each first electrode line 42a and each second electrode line 44a.

  The reference value calculation unit 33 calculates a comparison reference value to be compared when calculating the change rate of the contact range detected by the contact range detection unit 31. In the present embodiment, as the comparison reference value, the average value of the contact range in the scan processing (scan processing performed in the past predetermined period) for the predetermined number of times (for example, about 3 to 10 times) performed immediately before (for example, about 3 to 10 times). (Moving average value) is calculated.

  However, the method for calculating the comparison reference value is not limited to this. For example, the contact range detected by the scan process of the previous time or a predetermined number of times before (predetermined time) may be used as the comparison reference value. The minimum value, the maximum value, the mode value, the median value, the weighted average value, and the like of the contact range in the scan processing for the number of times (scan processing performed in the past predetermined period) may be used as the comparison reference value.

  The change rate calculation unit 34 calculates a change rate that is a ratio of the contact range calculated based on the newly performed scanning process with respect to the comparison reference value calculated by the reference value calculation unit 33.

  The determination unit 35 determines the user's operation intensity level with respect to the touch panel 8 by comparing the change rate calculated by the change rate calculation unit 34 with a threshold value set in advance and stored in the storage unit 14. The number of threshold values stored in the storage unit 14 is set according to the number of intensity levels to be detected. For example, when detecting two levels of intensity levels of weak press and strong press, only one threshold is required, and when detecting three levels of intensity levels, two thresholds are set.

  The storage control unit 36 controls writing and reading of data with respect to the storage unit 14, the first buffer 15, and the second buffer 16. Specifically, the storage control unit 36 causes the first buffer 15 to store the value of the contact range in the first direction (X direction) calculated by a predetermined number of scan processes performed most recently, in the second direction. The value of the contact range for (Y direction) is stored in the second buffer 16. When the storage capacity of the first buffer 15 and the second buffer 16 for storing new data in the first buffer 15 and the second buffer 16 is insufficient, the storage control unit 36 corresponds to the oldest scan process. The value of the contact range is appropriately deleted from each of these buffers. The storage control unit 36 also controls processing for writing various parameters used in the processing of the analysis processing unit 13 into the storage unit 14 and processing for reading out each parameter from the storage unit 14.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation intensity level detection process in the present embodiment.

  First, the storage control unit 36 initializes various parameters stored in the storage unit 14, the first buffer 15, and the second buffer 16. Specifically, the first buffer 15 and the second buffer 16 are cleared (the contents stored in these buffers are erased). Further, the number of scans t, the contact position Xpp in the X direction, the contact position Ypp in the Y direction, and the strong press determination flag SP stored in the storage unit 14 are set to an initial value 0 (S1).

  Next, the second scanning unit 12 performs a process in the first direction (X direction) in which the voltage value of each second electrode line 44a is detected line by line (for each second electrode line 44a) (S2). ), The first scanning unit 11 performs processing in the second direction (Y direction) in which the voltage value of each first electrode line 42a is detected line by line (for each first electrode line 42a) (S3). . Note that the first scan unit 11 and the second scan unit 12 may perform the scan process at predetermined intervals (for example, every 3 ms to 10 ms).

  Next, the operation position detection unit 21 determines whether or not the user's finger (or pointing tool) has touched the touch panel 8 based on the scan processing results of the first scan unit 11 and the second scan unit 12 (S4). . For example, the operation position detection unit 21 determines that “there is contact” when the number of the first electrode lines 42a and the second electrode lines 44a whose detected voltage values are equal to or greater than a predetermined value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, If it is less than “no contact”, it is determined.

  When it is determined in S4 that the user's finger (or pointing tool) is not in contact with the touch panel 8, the determination unit 35 determines whether or not to continue the operation intensity level detection process (S5), and when it continues. Returns to the process of S1, and terminates the process if not continued. The determination unit 35 determines that the operation intensity level detection process is not continued when a predetermined condition is met, for example, when the operation of the FA device 1 is stopped or the operation screen is switched, and the process is performed. finish.

  If it is determined in S4 that the user's finger (or pointing tool) is in contact with the touch panel 8, the determination unit 35 determines whether or not the value of the strong press determination flag SP stored in the storage unit 14 is 1. Is determined (S6).

  If it is determined in S6 that the value of the strong press determination flag SP is 1, the process returns to S2. That is, the value of the strong press determination flag SP being 1 indicates that the operation intensity level of the operation on the touch panel 8 has already been determined to be strong, and the process returns to S2 to each first electrode. The scanning process of the line 42 a and each second electrode line 44 a is continued, and it is monitored that the user's finger (or pointing tool) is separated from the touch panel 8.

  When it is determined in S6 that the value of the strong press determination flag SP is not 1, the operation position detection unit 21 determines the touch position (Xp, Yp) with respect to the touch panel 8 based on the results of the scan processing performed in S2 and S3. Detect (S7).

  Next, the determination unit 35 determines whether or not the contact position (Xpp, Ypp) at the previous scan stored in the storage unit 14 is an initial value (0, 0) (S8).

  If it is determined in S8 that (Xpp, Ypp) = (0, 0), the storage control unit 36 sets the values of Xpp and Ypp stored in the storage unit 14 to (Xpp, Ypp) = (Xp, Yp). ) (S9), the process proceeds to S11.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in S8 that (Xpp, Ypp) = (0, 0), the determination unit 35 determines whether (Xp, Yp) ≈ (Xpp, Ypp) is satisfied (S10). The determination unit 35 (Xp, Yp) ≈ (Xpp, Ypp) when the difference between Xpp and Xp and the difference between Ypp and Yp are equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, about 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm). Judge.

  If it is determined in S10 that (Xp, Yp) ≈ (Xpp, Ypp), the process returns to S1. That is, in this embodiment, when the user moves the contact position on the touch panel 8 by a predetermined distance (a distance corresponding to the predetermined value) while maintaining the contact state with the touch panel 8, the determination of the operation intensity level is stopped. It is supposed to be.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in S10 that (Xp, Yp) ≈ (Xpp, Ypp), the contact range detector 31 detects the X-direction contact width Wx and the Y-direction detection width Wy (S11).

  Next, the determination unit 35 determines whether the scan count value t stored in the storage unit 14 is larger than a predetermined buffer size constant m (whether t> m) (S12). ). The buffer size constant m is a value set in accordance with the number of values in the contact range (the number of scans targeted for moving average value calculation processing) used for calculating the above-described comparison reference value (moving average value). .

  If it is determined that t> m in S12, the storage control unit 36 stores the contact width Wx detected in S11 in the first buffer 15 and the contact width Wy in the second buffer 16 (S13), S2 Return to the process.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S12 that t> m is not true, the reference value calculation unit 33 calculates comparison reference values WxAV and WyAV that are used as the reference for the change rate calculation (S14). In the present embodiment, as described above, the average value (moving average value) of the contact widths Wx and Wy in the most recent scan processing for a predetermined number of times is calculated as the comparison reference value.

  Next, the change rate calculation unit 34 calculates change rates (change degrees) ΔX and ΔY with respect to the comparison reference values of the contact widths Wx and Wy calculated in S11 (S15). In this embodiment, ΔX and ΔY are calculated based on ΔX = Wx−WxAV and ΔY = Wy−WyAV.

  Next, the determination unit 35 compares ΔX calculated in S15 with the threshold value Thx stored in the storage unit 14, and determines whether ΔX> Thx is satisfied (S16).

  If it is determined in S16 that ΔX> Thx, the determination unit 35 determines that the user's operation is “strong press”, and sets the value of the strong press determination flag SP stored in the storage unit 14 to SP = 1. Set and return to S2.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S16 that ΔX> Thx is not satisfied, the determination unit 35 compares ΔY calculated in S15 with the threshold value Thy stored in the storage unit 14 to determine whether ΔY> Thy. Judgment is made (S17).

  If it is determined in S17 that ΔY> Thy, the determination unit 35 determines that the user's operation is “strong press”, and sets the value of the strong press determination flag SP stored in the storage unit 14 to SP = 1. Set and return to S2.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S17 that ΔY> Thy is not satisfied, the storage control unit 36 stores the contact width Wx detected in S11 in the first buffer 15 and the contact width Wy in the second buffer 16 (S13). , The process returns to S2.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation detection unit 7 detects the contact range (contact width or contact area) of the user's finger (or pointing tool such as a pen) with respect to the touch panel 8 and the rate of change of the contact range ( The operation intensity level (pressing force level) of the instruction input from the user and the corresponding operation instruction content are determined according to the degree of change).

  Thereby, regardless of conditions such as the thickness of the user's finger, it is possible to appropriately determine the instruction input content corresponding to the operation intensity level intended by the user. That is, when a strong pressing operation is performed on the touch panel, the touch range on the touch panel varies depending on the thickness of the user's finger, but the rate of change of the touch range on the touch panel is almost influenced by the thickness of the user's finger. I do not receive it. For example, the increase rate of the pressing force when changing the operation intensity level for the touch panel from weak pressing to strong pressing is substantially constant regardless of the user. Therefore, as in the above configuration, by determining the instruction input content from the user according to the change rate of the contact range, the instruction input content intended by the user can be obtained regardless of conditions such as the thickness of the user's finger. It can be judged appropriately.

  In general, when the user performs dusting on the touch panel, wiping the touch panel, or grasping the touch panel, the contact range and the contact strength become very large from the beginning of the contact, and the rate of change is small. Become. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even when the user performs an operation of removing dust on the touch panel, wiping the touch panel, or grasping the touch panel, these operations are performed according to the operation intensity level. An erroneous determination as an input can be prevented.

  In the process of FIG. 8 described above, the operation intensity level is determined based on both the X-direction contact width Wx and the Y-direction contact width Wy. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the operation intensity level may be determined based on the rate of change of one of the contact width Wx in the X direction and the contact width Wy in the Y direction.

  Further, based on the contact width Wx in the X direction and the contact width Wy in the Y direction, or based on the detection result of the voltage value of each first electrode line 42a and each second electrode line 44a, the user's finger (or indicator) ) May be detected, and the operation intensity level may be determined based on the change rate of the detected contact area.

  Further, only a part of the operation objects (for example, buttons and icons) included in the operation screen displayed on the display panel 6 may be configured to allow a plurality of types of operation inputs according to the operation intensity level. For example, an operation object for performing an important operation instruction is configured so that a plurality of types of operation input can be performed according to the operation intensity level, and when a weak press on the operation object is detected, the operation object is reversed or displayed. Emphasis display or message information display may be performed, and it may be determined that the important operation instruction has been performed when a strong press on the operation target is detected thereafter. Thereby, when the operation object is touched by mistake, the important operation instruction is prevented from being executed, and malfunction due to erroneous determination can be prevented.

[Embodiment 2]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those shown in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

  In the first embodiment, the user's operation intensity level is detected according to the change rate of the contact range (contact width or contact area) of the user's finger (or pointing tool) with respect to the touch panel 8. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the user's finger (or pointing tool) touches the touch panel 8 in accordance with the rate of change (degree of change) in the voltage values of the first electrode line 42a and the second electrode line 44a. Detects the operation intensity level.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of the operation detection unit 7b provided in the instruction input device 4 according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the operation detection unit 7b is the same as the operation detection unit 7 (see FIG. 2) of the first embodiment except that it includes a press detection unit (contact detection unit) 37 instead of the contact range detection unit 31. It is the same composition.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation intensity level detection process in the present embodiment.

  First, the storage control unit 36 initializes various parameters stored in the storage unit 14, the first buffer 15, and the second buffer 16. Specifically, the first buffer 15 and the second buffer 16 are cleared (the contents stored in these buffers are erased). In addition, the number of scans t, the contact position Xpp in the X direction, the contact position Ypp in the Y direction, and the strong press determination flag SP stored in the storage unit 14 are set to an initial value 0 (S21).

  Next, the second scanning unit 12 performs a scanning process in the first direction (X direction) in which the voltage value of each second electrode line 44a is detected line by line (for each second electrode line 44a) ( S22), the first scanning unit 11 performs a scanning process in the second direction (Y direction) in which the voltage value of each first electrode line 42a is detected line by line (for each first electrode line 42a) ( S23).

  Next, the operation position detection unit 21 determines whether or not the user's finger (or pointing tool) has touched the touch panel 8 based on the scan results of the first scan unit 11 and the second scan unit 12 (S24). For example, the operation position detection unit 21 determines that “there is contact” when the number of the first electrode lines 42a and the second electrode lines 44a whose detected voltage values are equal to or greater than a predetermined value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, If it is less than “no contact”, it is determined.

  When it is determined in S24 that the user's finger (or pointing tool) is not in contact with the touch panel 8, the determination unit 35 determines whether or not to continue the operation intensity level detection process (S25). Returns to the process of S21, and if not continued, ends the process.

  If it is determined in S24 that the user's finger (or pointing tool) is in contact with the touch panel 8, the determination unit 35 determines whether or not the value of the strong press determination flag SP stored in the storage unit 14 is 1. Is determined (S26).

  If it is determined in S26 that the value of the strong press determination flag SP is 1, the process returns to S22. That is, the value of the strong press determination flag SP being 1 indicates that it has already been determined that the operation intensity level of the current operation on the touch panel 8 is a strong press. The scanning process of the one electrode line 42 a and each second electrode line 44 a is continued, and it is monitored that the user's finger (or indicator) is separated from the touch panel 8.

  When it is determined in S26 that the value of the strong press determination flag SP is not 1, the operation position detection unit 21 determines the operation position (Xp, Yp) for the touch panel 8 based on the results of the scan processing performed in S2 and S3. Detect (S27).

  Next, the determination unit 35 determines whether or not the contact position (Xpp, Ypp) at the previous scan stored in the storage unit 14 is an initial value (0, 0) (S28).

  If it is determined in S28 that (Xpp, Ypp) = (0, 0), the storage control unit 36 sets the values of Xpp and Ypp stored in the storage unit 14 to (Xpp, Ypp) = (Xp, Yp). ) (S29), the process proceeds to S31.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in S28 that (Xpp, Ypp) = (0, 0), the determination unit 35 determines whether (Xp, Yp) ≈ (Xpp, Ypp) (S30). The determination unit 35 determines that (Xp, Yp) ≈ (Xpp, Ypp) when the difference between Xpp and Xp and the difference between Ypp and Yp are equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, about several mm).

  If it is determined in S30 that (Xp, Yp) ≈ (Xpp, Ypp), the process returns to S21. That is, in the present embodiment, when the user moves the contact position with respect to the touch panel 8 while maintaining the state in contact with the touch panel 8, the operation intensity level is not determined.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in S30 that (Xp, Yp) ≈ (Xpp, Ypp), the pressure detection unit 37 determines the maximum voltage value Vx in the X direction (the maximum value among the detection voltages of the respective second electrode lines 44a). ) And the maximum voltage value Vy in the Y direction (the maximum value among the detection voltages of the first electrode lines 42a) is detected (S31).

  Next, the determination unit 35 determines whether or not the scan count value t stored in the storage unit 14 is greater than a predetermined buffer size constant m (whether t> m) (S32). ). The buffer size constant m is a value set in accordance with the number of values in the contact range (the number of scans targeted for moving average value calculation processing) used for calculating the above-described comparison reference value (moving average value). .

  When determining that t> m in S32, the storage control unit 36 stores the voltage value Vx detected in S31 in the first buffer 15 and the voltage value Vy in the second buffer 16 (S33), and S22. Return to the process.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S32 that t> m is not true, the reference value calculation unit 33 calculates comparison reference values VxAV and VyAV that are used as the reference for the change rate calculation (S14). In the present embodiment, the reference value calculation unit 33 calculates the average value (moving average value) of the maximum voltage values Vx and Vy in the most recent scan processing for a predetermined number of times as a comparison reference value. However, the method for calculating the comparison reference value is not limited to this. For example, the maximum voltage values Vx and Vy detected by the previous or predetermined scan processing may be used as the comparison reference value, and the most recent predetermined number of times is performed. The minimum value, maximum value, mode value, median value, weighted average value, and the like of the maximum voltage values Vx and Vy in the minute scan process may be used as the comparison reference value.

  Next, the change rate calculation unit 34 calculates the change rates ΔVx and ΔVy of the voltage values Vx and Vy calculated in S31 with respect to the comparison reference value (S35). In this embodiment, ΔX and ΔY are calculated based on ΔVx = Vx−VxAV and ΔVy = Vy−VyAV.

  Next, the determination unit 35 compares ΔVx calculated in S35 with the threshold value Thvx stored in the storage unit 14, and determines whether ΔVx> Thvx is satisfied (S36).

  If it is determined in S36 that ΔVx> Thvx, the determination unit 35 determines that the user's operation is “strong press”, and sets the value of the strong press determination flag SP stored in the storage unit 14 to SP = 1. Set and return to S22.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S36 that ΔVx> Thvx is not satisfied, the determination unit 35 compares ΔVy calculated in S25 with the threshold value Thvy stored in the storage unit 14, and determines whether ΔVy> Thvy. Judgment is made (S37).

  If it is determined in S37 that ΔVy> Thvy, the determination unit 35 determines that the user's operation is “strong press”, and sets the value of the strong press determination flag SP stored in the storage unit 14 to SP = 1. Set and return to S22.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S37 that ΔVy> Thvy is not satisfied, the storage control unit 36 stores the voltage value Vx detected in S31 in the first buffer 15 and the voltage value Vy in the second buffer 16 (S33). , The process returns to S22.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation detection unit 7 responds to the change rate of the contact strength (voltage value that changes according to the pressing force) of the user's finger (or pointing tool such as a pen) with respect to the touch panel 8. The instruction input content from the user is determined.

  Thereby, regardless of conditions such as the thickness of the user's finger, it is possible to appropriately determine the instruction input content corresponding to the operation intensity level intended by the user. That is, when a strong pressing operation on the touch panel is performed, the contact strength itself with respect to the touch panel varies depending on the thickness of the user's finger, but the rate of change of the contact strength with respect to the touch panel is affected by the thickness of the user's finger. I hardly receive it. For example, the increase rate of the pressing force when changing the operation intensity level for the touch panel from weak pressing to strong pressing is substantially constant regardless of the user. Therefore, as described above, by determining the instruction input content from the user according to the degree of change in the contact strength, the instruction input content intended by the user can be obtained regardless of conditions such as the thickness of the user's finger. It can be judged appropriately.

  In general, when the user performs an operation of removing dust on the touch panel, wiping the touch panel, or grasping the touch panel, the contact strength becomes very large from the beginning of the contact, and the rate of change becomes small. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even when the user performs an operation of removing dust on the touch panel, wiping the touch panel, or grasping the touch panel, these operations are performed according to the operation intensity level. It is possible to prevent erroneous detection as an input.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the user's operation intensity level is determined based on the rate of change in the voltage values of the first electrode line 42a and the second electrode line 44a has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the operation intensity level may be determined based on only one of the rate of change of the voltage value of the first electrode line 42a and the rate of change of the voltage value of the second electrode line 44a. Moreover, not only the structure which determines a user's operation intensity level based on the change rate of a voltage value but based on the change rate of the other parameter | index (for example, electric current, stress, distortion, etc.) which changes according to the pressing force with respect to the touch panel 8. You may make it judge.

[Example of software implementation]
The control block (particularly the analysis processing unit 13) of the instruction input device 4 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or using a CPU (Central Processing Unit). It may be realized by software.

  In the latter case, the instruction input device 4 includes a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which the program and various data are recorded so as to be readable by the computer (or CPU). Alternatively, a storage device (these are referred to as “recording media”), a RAM (Random Access Memory) that expands the program, and the like are provided. And the objective of this invention is achieved when a computer (or CPU) reads the said program from the said recording medium and runs it. As the recording medium, a “non-temporary tangible medium” such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. The program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
The instruction input device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a contact detection unit that detects at least one of a contact range and a contact strength of a user's finger or pointing tool with respect to the touch panel, and a change degree of the contact range or the contact strength. And an instruction determination unit that determines the contents of the instruction input from the user. The contact range may be a width in a predetermined direction or an area. Further, the contact strength may be a value of a pressing force, or may be a value that changes according to the pressing force (for example, a voltage value).

  According to the above configuration, the content of the instruction input from the user is determined based on the comparison result between the contact range or the detected value of the contact intensity itself and the threshold value, and the condition such as the thickness of the user's finger is affected. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine the instruction input content intended by the user.

  That is, when a strong pressing operation is performed on the touch panel, the contact range or the contact strength value itself varies depending on the thickness of the user's finger, etc. Little affected by finger thickness. For example, the increase rate of the pressing force when the operation intensity level (pressing force level) for the touch panel is changed from weak pressing to strong pressing is substantially constant regardless of the user. For this reason, as in the above configuration, by determining the instruction input content from the user according to the contact range or the degree of change in the contact strength, the instruction intended by the user regardless of the condition such as the thickness of the user's finger. The input content can be determined appropriately.

  In general, when the user performs dusting on the touch panel, wiping the touch panel, or grabbing the touch panel, the contact range and the contact strength become large values from the beginning of the contact, and the degree of change thereafter is Relatively small. Therefore, according to the above configuration, even when the user performs an operation of removing dust on the touch panel, wiping the touch panel, or grasping the touch panel, these operations are performed according to the operation intensity level. It is possible to prevent erroneous detection as an input.

  The instruction input device according to aspect 2 of the present invention includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of the change degrees and instruction input contents from a user corresponding to each change degree in the aspect 1, and includes the instruction determination unit. Is a configuration in which the instruction input content from the user is determined by reading the instruction input content corresponding to the degree of change calculated based on the detection result of the contact detection unit from the storage unit.

  According to said structure, the instruction input content from the user according to the operation intensity level with respect to a touch panel can be determined appropriately.

  An instruction input device according to aspect 3 of the present invention includes the change degree calculation unit that calculates the change degree in the aspect 1 or 2, and the contact detection unit determines the contact range or the contact strength at predetermined intervals. And the change degree calculation unit newly calculates a comparison reference value calculated based on the contact range or the contact strength detected by the contact detection unit within a predetermined period in the past and the contact detection unit. The degree of change is calculated based on the contact range or the contact strength.

  According to said structure, the change degree of a contact range or contact intensity | strength can be detected appropriately, and the instruction | indication input content from the user according to the operation intensity level with respect to a touch panel can be determined more appropriately.

  In the instruction input device according to aspect 4 of the present invention, in the aspect 3, the comparison reference value is an average value of the contact range or the contact intensity detected by the contact detection unit within the predetermined period. It is.

  According to said structure, the change degree of a contact range or contact intensity | strength can be detected appropriately, and the instruction | indication input content from the user according to the operation intensity | strength with respect to a touch panel can be determined more appropriately.

  The instruction input device according to aspect 5 of the present invention is the instruction input device according to any one of the aspects 1 to 4, wherein the contact detection unit detects a contact position of a user's finger or an indicator with respect to the touch panel, and the instruction determination unit includes: It is the structure which determines the instruction | indication input content from a user according to the said contact position and the said change degree.

  According to said structure, by receiving the instruction | indication input content from a user according to the contact position with respect to a touchscreen, and the change range of the contact range or contact intensity with respect to a touchscreen, the reception of the more various instruction input from a user is received. Can be possible.

  The instruction input device according to aspect 6 of the present invention is configured such that the instruction determination unit stops determining the instruction input content from the user according to the degree of change when the contact position has moved by a predetermined distance or more. .

  According to said structure, when the user performs operation which moves the contact position with respect to a touch panel in the state which touched the touch panel, the said operation can be prevented from being misdetected as operation input according to the operation intensity level.

  An instruction input device according to an aspect 7 of the present invention includes the display device that displays the operation screen according to any one of the above aspects 1 to 6, and the touch panel is disposed at a position overlapping the display screen of the display device. It is a configuration.

  According to said structure, the operation input from the user with respect to the operation screen of a display apparatus can be detected appropriately.

  An instruction input detection method according to an aspect of the present invention is an instruction input detection method for detecting an instruction input content of a user on a touch panel, wherein at least one of a contact range and a contact strength of a user's finger or an indicator on the touch panel. It includes a contact detection step for detecting one and an instruction determination step for determining an instruction input content from a user according to the contact range or the degree of change in the contact strength.

  According to the above method, compared with the case where the instruction input content from the user is determined based on the comparison result between the contact range or the detected value of the contact intensity and the threshold value, it is related to conditions such as the thickness of the user's finger. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine the instruction input content intended by the user.

  The instruction input device according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the instruction input device is realized by a computer by operating the computer as an instruction determination unit included in the instruction input device. An instruction input device control program to be executed and a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

  The present invention can be applied to an instruction input device and an instruction input detection method for receiving a plurality of types of instruction inputs according to the strength level of the pressing force applied to the touch panel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 FA apparatus 2 Device function control part 3 Device function part 4 Instruction input device 5 Display control part 6 Display panel 7, 7b Operation detection part 8 Touch panel 11 First scanning part 12 Second scanning part 13 Analysis processing part 14 Storage part 15 1 buffer 16 2nd buffer 21 Operation position detector (contact detector)
22 Operation intensity level detection part 31 Contact range detection part (contact detection part)
32 Scan count counting unit 33 Reference value calculating unit 34 Change rate calculating unit (change degree calculating unit)
35 determination unit (instruction determination unit)
36 Memory control unit 37 Press detection unit (contact detection unit)
41 1st board | substrate 42 1st electrode layer 42a 1st electrode line 42b Wiring part 42c Electrode part 43 2nd board | substrate 44 2nd electrode layer 44a 2nd electrode line 44b Wiring part 44c Electrode part 45 Front cover

Claims (10)

A contact detection unit that detects at least one of a contact range and a contact strength of a user's finger or pointing tool with respect to the touch panel;
An instruction input device comprising: an instruction determination unit that determines an instruction input content from a user in accordance with a change degree of the contact range or the contact strength. A storage unit that stores a plurality of the change degrees and instruction input contents from the user corresponding to the change degrees,
The instruction determination unit is configured to determine an instruction input content from a user by reading an instruction input content corresponding to the change degree calculated based on a detection result of the contact detection unit from the storage unit. The instruction input device according to claim 1. A change degree calculation unit for calculating the change degree;
The contact detection unit detects the contact range or the contact strength every predetermined period,
The change degree calculation unit includes a comparison reference value calculated based on the contact range or the contact strength detected by the contact detection unit within a predetermined period in the past, and the newly calculated by the contact detection unit. The instruction input device according to claim 1, wherein the degree of change is calculated based on a contact range or the contact strength.   4. The instruction input device according to claim 3, wherein the comparison reference value is an average value of the contact range or the contact intensity detected by the contact detection unit within the predetermined period. The contact detection unit detects a contact position of a user's finger or indicator with respect to the touch panel,
The instruction input device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the instruction determination unit determines an instruction input content from a user according to the contact position and the degree of change.   The said instruction | indication determination part stops determination of the instruction | indication input content from the user according to the said change degree, when the said contact position moves more than predetermined distance, The any one of Claim 1 to 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. The instruction input device described in 1. It has a display device that displays the operation screen,
The instruction input device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the touch panel is disposed at a position overlapping the display screen of the display device. An instruction input detection method for detecting an instruction input content of a user on a touch panel,
A contact detection step of detecting at least one of a contact range and a contact strength of a user's finger or pointing tool with respect to the touch panel;
An instruction determination step of determining an instruction input content from a user according to the contact range or the degree of change in the contact strength.   A program for causing a computer to function as the instruction input device according to claim 1, wherein the program causes the computer to function as the instruction determination unit.   A computer-readable recording medium storing the program according to claim 9.

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