JP2015072560A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device capable of performing a plurality of gesture inputs efficiently with a simple structure.SOLUTION: An input device 100 which recognizes a user's gesture includes: a photoreflector 13 which detects movement of a user's finger, and generates a signal according to movement of the finger; a gesture recognition part 22 which recognizes a gesture corresponding to the generated signal; and an informing part 23 which informs other device 200 of an operation signal corresponding to the gesture recognized by the gesture recognition part 22.

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device that recognizes a gesture.

  In recent years, PCs (personal computers) and smartphones equipped with touch panels and touch pads have become widespread. The touch panel and the touch pad have an input function that allows input by finger pointing. In recent years, touch panels and touch pads often have a multi-touch function for recognizing a plurality of fingers, and input using a multi-finger gesture using the multi-touch function is also widely performed. For example, a function of recognizing a plurality of gestures such as a swipe for quickly sliding a finger and a pinch-in for bringing two fingers closer is often used.

  Here, Patent Document 1 describes an input device that an operator operates with a finger. In this input device, the operation of the finger is determined as 0 when the finger is released, and as 1 when the finger is approached, and the determination result is output as a switch operation. Patent Document 2 describes a technology in which a change in density of a soft object filling is measured using a sensor and the soft object is used as an input device. A sensor module is inserted into a filling material filled in the soft object, and a change in the density of the filling material due to a load or deformation applied to the soft object by the sensor module is measured. This input device makes it possible to send a control command to the device according to the measurement result acquired from the sensor module.

JP 2002-287870 A JP 2013-36794 A

  In general, a touch panel and a touch pad need to arrange a large number of sensors densely on a plane. Therefore, the manufacturing cost has increased and complicated control has been required. Here, a plurality of gesture inputs can be performed using a small number of sensors. However, since a plurality of sensors are required even if the number is small, the manufacturing cost tends to increase as usual.

  For example, it is possible to input with only one sensor, such as accepting an input when tapping the photo reflector. However, only a very small number of gestures can be input, and it takes time to perform the desired input.

  Further, as in Patent Document 1, it is possible to detect the distance between the photoreflector and the user's finger from the output signal of the photoreflector and thereby input, but it is difficult to input, and it takes time to input. It was. The device described in Patent Document 2 can be applied to an input device that performs input in accordance with a change in density measured by a sensor. However, since the device includes a plurality of photo reflectors, the structure is complicated and the manufacturing cost is low. Invite the rise.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an input device capable of efficiently performing a plurality of gesture inputs with a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, an input device according to the present invention is an input device that recognizes a user's gesture, and detects one motion of a user's finger and generates a signal corresponding to the motion of the finger. A sensor; gesture recognition means for recognizing a gesture corresponding to the generated signal; and notification means for notifying another device of an operation signal corresponding to the gesture recognized by the gesture recognition means.

  In the input device of the present invention, when a predetermined finger is moved by the user, one detection sensor senses the movement of the user's finger and outputs a signal corresponding to the movement of the user's finger. The gesture recognition means recognizes a gesture corresponding to the signal based on the generated signal. The notifying unit notifies an operation signal corresponding to the gesture recognized by the gesture recognizing unit to another device. With such a configuration, the input device according to the present invention can realize a plurality of efficient gesture inputs with a simple configuration using one detection sensor without using a plurality of detection sensors.

  The input device according to the present invention is preferably configured such that the gesture recognition means recognizes the number of operating fingers. By recognizing the number of fingers, many gestures can be recognized efficiently.

  More specifically, in the input device according to the present invention, when the gesture recognition unit performs a swipe that is an operation of sliding a finger in a state of being in contact with or close to the screen, a signal generated by the detection sensor is detected. It is desirable to detect the number of gaps between fingers from the change and recognize the number of fingers from the number of gaps. According to the above configuration, the number of fingers can be recognized with high accuracy.

  In the input device according to the present invention, it is desirable that the gesture recognition unit recognizes the swipe direction based on a change in the signal of the detection sensor. By recognizing the direction of the swipe, many gestures can be recognized efficiently.

  More specifically, in the input device according to the present invention, the detection sensor is configured such that the sensitivity changes along the direction of the swipe, and the gesture recognition unit is configured to rise the waveform of the signal generated by the detection sensor. It is desirable to detect a change in the sensitivity of the falling edge and recognize a swipe direction corresponding to the change in the waveform. According to the above configuration, the direction of swipe can be recognized with high accuracy.

  Moreover, it is desirable to arrange an ND filter in a part of the detection sensor so that the sensitivity of the detection sensor changes along one direction.

  In addition, the gesture recognition means is a tap that is an operation of tapping the screen with a finger based on the duration of the period near the peak of the intensity of the signal generated by the detection sensor and the change of the rising and falling signals of the signal waveform. It is desirable to recognize.

  More specifically, the detection sensor is preferably a photo reflector, a capacitive touch sensor, or a pressure sensitive sensor. According to the detection sensor, it is possible to accurately detect the movement of the user's finger.

  Moreover, as for the input device which concerns on this invention, it is desirable that the unevenness | corrugation is provided adjacent to the detection sensor. Since the projections and depressions are provided adjacent to the detection sensor, the user can easily input with a gesture without visual observation.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an input device capable of efficiently performing a plurality of gesture inputs with a simple configuration.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the input device 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of IC chip 20 of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the IC chip 20 of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the waveform of the output signal processed with the input device 100 of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the waveform of the output signal processed with the input device 100 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the method in which the gesture recognition part 22 of FIG. 3 recognizes a gesture. It is a flowchart which shows the method in which the gesture recognition part 22 of FIG. 3 discriminate | determines the direction of swipe. It is a figure which shows distribution of the relationship between the inclination of the rising of the output signal which the input device 100 of FIG. 1 processes, and falling. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of 100 A of input devices which concern on the modification of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the input device 100B which concerns on the modification of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the input device 100. In the figure, the periphery of the photo reflector 13 which is a component of the input device 100 is shown enlarged. The input device 100 is a device that enables an operation input to another device by determining a gesture made by the user based on the movement of the finger F by the user. As shown in FIG. 1, the input device 100 includes a single photoreflector 13, an ND (Neutral Density) filter 14, and an IC chip 20 arranged in the case 1.

  The case 1 that houses the photo reflector 13, the ND filter 14, and the IC chip 20 has a long shape such as a rectangle. At least the upper portion of the photo reflector 13 is made of a material having infrared transparency.

  In the following description, the direction along the longitudinal direction of the surface 1a of the case 1 is defined as the X-axis direction, and the direction along the short direction of the surface 1a of the case 1 is defined as the Y-axis direction.

  The photo reflector 13 is a detection sensor in which one phototransistor 11 and one infrared LED 12 are integrated. Specifically, the photo reflector 13 is configured such that the phototransistor 11 and the infrared LED 12 are arranged in the Y axis direction inside the case 1. As the photo reflector 13, various sizes can be used. For example, a size of 5 mm square or less is preferable.

  In the photo reflector 13 having the above-described configuration, the infrared LED 12 emits infrared light toward the region S between the infrared LED 12 and the phototransistor 11 on the surface 1a (screen) of the case 1, and the phototransistor 11 accordingly. Receives infrared light reflected in the vicinity of the region S on the surface 1a, generates a photocurrent, and outputs an output signal according to the photocurrent. That is, the photo reflector 13 generates a high-intensity output signal when the finger F contacts or approaches the region S on the surface 1a, and when the finger F is away from the region S on the surface 1a. , Configured to generate a low-intensity output signal. Thereby, the photo reflector 13 can detect the operation of the user's finger and generate an output signal corresponding to the operation. This is because when the finger F comes into contact with or approaches the region S, the infrared light from the infrared LED 12 is reflected toward the phototransistor 11 by the finger F, so that the intensity of the output signal of the photoreflector 13 increases. This is because when the finger F is away from the region S, the infrared light from the infrared LED 12 is not reflected by the finger F, so that the intensity of the output signal of the photo reflector 13 is lowered.

  The ND filter 14 is a filter that attenuates light intensity without changing the relative spectral distribution of light energy. The ND filter 14 is disposed along the surface 1 a of the case 1 so as to cover a part of the photo reflector 13 from the inside or the outside of the case 1. For example, the ND filter 14 covers at least half of the region S on the surface 1a in the X-axis direction. Thereby, the sensitivity of the photo reflector 13 can be changed along the X-axis direction.

  The IC chip 20 is housed inside the case 1 and is electrically connected to the phototransistor 11 and the infrared LED 12 inside the case 1. The IC chip 20 performs signal processing on the output signal from the photo reflector 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the IC chip 20 physically includes one or a plurality of CPUs 201, a RAM 202 and a ROM 203 that are main storage devices, and a communication module 204 that is a data transmission / reception device that transmits / receives signals to / from the outside by wire or wirelessly. The computer system includes an auxiliary storage device 205 such as a semiconductor memory. Each function of the IC chip 20 in FIG. 2 allows the communication module 204 to be controlled under the control of the CPU 201 by loading one or more predetermined computer software on the hardware such as the CPU 201 and the RAM 202 shown in FIG. This is realized by operating and reading and writing data in the RAM 202 and the auxiliary storage device 205.

  Next, the functional configuration of the IC chip 20 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the IC chip 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the IC chip 20 includes a signal receiving unit 21, a gesture recognition unit (gesture recognition unit) 22, and a notification unit (notification unit) 23.

  The signal receiving unit 21 is a means for receiving an output signal representing the intensity of received light generated by the photo reflector 13. Further, the signal receiving unit 21 notifies the gesture recognition unit 22 of the received output signal.

  The gesture recognition unit 22 recognizes a gesture corresponding to the output signal received by the signal reception unit 21. The gesture recognition unit 22 receives the output signal output from the photo reflector 13 from the signal receiving unit 21 and analyzes it. Specifically, it is determined whether or not it can be recognized as a specific gesture by comparing with a predetermined waveform of a signal corresponding to a plurality of gestures. Furthermore, the gesture recognition unit 22 notifies the notification unit 23 of an operation signal corresponding to the determined user gesture. The notification unit 23 notifies an operation signal to another device 200 outside the input device 100 using wired communication or wireless communication.

  First, the gesture recognition unit 22 is configured to recognize seven types of gestures. The seven types of gestures are taps that are operations for tapping a finger on the surface 1a of the case 1 in a state where one or three fingers are in contact with or close to the surface 1a, and the fingers are placed on the positive X-axis. A right swipe that is an operation of sliding in the direction, and a left swipe that is an operation of sliding the fingers in the negative direction of the X axis in a state where one to three fingers are in contact with or close to the surface 1a. However, the gesture recognition unit 22 is not limited to the case of recognizing a gesture with 1 to 3 fingers, and may be able to recognize a gesture with 4 or more fingers.

  That is, the gesture recognition unit 22 recognizes the tap gesture as follows. FIG. 4 shows an example of the characteristics of the output signal received by the signal receiving unit 21, and the horizontal axis indicates the operation time (elapsed time) of the finger F, and the vertical axis indicates the intensity of the output signal. As already described, the strength of the output signal varies depending on the distance between the region S on the photo reflector 13 and the finger F. Specifically, the gesture recognition unit 22 recognizes a gesture as a tap when an output signal as shown by the characteristic T11 in FIG. 4 is received. That is, the gesture recognition unit 22 analyzes whether or not the waveform drawn by the output signal approximates a specific waveform corresponding to a predetermined tap gesture (the waveform of the characteristic T11 in FIG. 4). Specifically, the gesture recognition unit 22 has one peak with a sharp rise and fall as in the waveform of the characteristic T11, and a period close to the intensity peak continues for a certain time (for example, 50 ms). If the waveform is recognized, it is determined that it is a tap gesture. The gesture recognizing unit 22 detects the peak value of the output signal of the photoreflector 13, and both the rise time and the fall time are 10% of the intensity peak value and 90% of the intensity peak value. It may be detected as a time between the elapsed times, and when the detected time is shorter than a predetermined time, it may be determined that the rise and fall are steep. Here, when detecting the rise time and the fall time, the gesture recognition unit 22 is not limited to detecting the time changing between 10% and 90% of the peak value. You may detect the time which changes the ratio of other intensity | strengths, such as the time which changes between 20% and 80%. Alternatively, instead of determining whether the rise and fall are steep, the time when the output signal of the photo reflector 13 exceeds a predetermined value may be detected. Furthermore, instead of determining whether the rise and fall are steep, the ratio of the time required for the rise and fall and the time from the rise to the fall may be detected. Furthermore, the gesture recognition unit 22 notifies the notification unit 23 of an operation signal corresponding to the tap operation.

  On the other hand, the gesture recognition unit 22 recognizes a one-finger swipe gesture as follows. That is, the gesture recognition unit 22 recognizes a gesture as a swipe with one finger when receiving an output signal as indicated by the characteristic T12 in FIG. Specifically, the gesture recognition unit 22 analyzes whether the waveform drawn by the output signal approximates a specific waveform corresponding to a predetermined swipe with one finger. Specifically, the gesture recognizing unit 22 has a single peak that is relatively gentle and has a sharp rise and fall compared to the tap as in the waveform of the characteristic T12, and is close to the intensity peak. When a waveform having a relatively short period is recognized, it is determined that a swipe with one finger is performed. Furthermore, the gesture recognition unit 22 notifies the notification unit 23 of an operation signal corresponding to the swipe operation with one finger.

  When the gesture recognition unit 22 recognizes the swipe gesture, the gesture recognition unit 22 performs swipe (right swipe) in the right direction (positive direction of the X axis) and left direction (in the X axis) based on the waveform of the output signal. It is discriminated from swipe in the negative direction (left swipe). FIG. 5 shows an example of the characteristics of the output signal received by the signal receiver 21, where the horizontal axis indicates the operating time (elapsed time) of the finger F and the vertical axis indicates the intensity of the output signal of the photoreflector 13. In the figure, an output signal characteristic T21 indicates an output signal corresponding to a right swipe, and an output signal characteristic T22 indicates an output signal corresponding to a left swipe. Thus, the right swipe characteristic T21 has a sharp rise and a slow fall. In other words, the characteristic T21 has a longer fall time (T21d) than a rise time (T21u). On the other hand, the left swipe characteristic T22 has a gradual rise and a sharp fall. In other words, in the characteristic T22, the rise time (T22u) is longer than the fall time (T22d). This is because the sensitivity of the photo reflector 13 changes along the X-axis direction. The gesture recognizing unit 22 recognizes the direction of the swipe corresponding to the difference by detecting the rising and falling slopes.

  Specifically, the gesture recognition unit 22 detects the peak value of the output signal of the photoreflector 13, and both the rise time and the fall time are 10% of the elapsed time of the intensity peak value and 90% of the intensity peak value. Detect as time between% elapsed time. Then, the gesture recognition unit 22 compares the rise time and the fall time, and determines that the swipe is left swipe if the rise time is somewhat longer than the fall time, and the rise time is somewhat shorter than the fall time. It is determined that there is a right swipe. Here, when detecting the rise time and the fall time, the gesture recognition unit 22 is not limited to detecting the time changing between 10% and 90% of the peak value. You may detect the time which changes the ratio of other intensity | strengths, such as the time which changes between 20% and 80%. Further, instead of detecting the time for changing the predetermined intensity ratio, the gesture recognition unit 22 detects the change rate (gradient) of the rising and falling intensity with respect to time, and determines the direction of swipe based on the change rate. You may recognize it.

  In addition, when recognizing the swipe gesture, the gesture recognition unit 22 recognizes the number of fingers F operated by the user based on the waveform of the output signal. That is, the gesture recognition unit 22 determines how many fingers F the user swipes based on the change in the output signal of the photo reflector 13. This determination uses the fact that when the user swipes with a plurality of fingers F, the output signal has a plurality of peaks. This is because when a gap portion of a plurality of fingers F of a user passes through the region S on the photo reflector 13 continuously, if one finger F passes through the region S, the output signal of the photo reflector 13 is weakened. This is because the output signal becomes stronger again immediately after the adjacent finger F approaches the region S. Thereby, the number of gaps between the plurality of fingers F to be swiped can be grasped from the number of gaps in the peak of the waveform of the output signal. Since the number of peaks in the output signal matches the number of fingers F, the gesture recognition unit 22 determines the number of fingers F from the number of peaks in the output signal. The gesture recognition unit 22 also has a slight gap between the fingers F even when the swipe operation is performed in a state where the fingers F are in contact with each other. The number of swipe fingers can be recognized based on the signal change.

  More specifically, when the gesture recognition unit 22 receives an output signal as indicated by the characteristic T13 in FIG. 4, the waveform has two peaks, so that the swipe with two fingers is performed. Recognize gestures. Then, the gesture recognition unit 22 notifies the notification unit 23 of an operation signal corresponding to the swipe operation of two fingers. When the gesture recognition unit 22 receives an output signal as shown by the characteristic T14 in FIG. 4, the waveform has three peaks, so the gesture is recognized as a swipe with three fingers. . Then, the gesture recognition unit 22 notifies the notification unit 23 of an operation signal corresponding to the swipe operation of three fingers.

  Subsequently, a gesture recognition procedure by the input device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of gesture recognition processing by the input device.

  First, the photo reflector 13 detects a finger gesture motion, and generates an output signal corresponding to the motion (step S11). Next, an output signal is transmitted from the photoreflector 13 to the signal receiving unit 21, and the gesture recognition unit 22 accordingly determines whether the output signal from the photoreflector 13 has one peak (step S12). ). As a result, when it is determined that the output signal has one peak (step S12; YES), the gesture recognition unit 22 further determines that the period close to the peak of the output signal intensity is a fixed time (in this embodiment, 50 ms). It is determined whether or not (step S13). As a result, when it is determined that the period near the intensity peak is 50 ms or more (step S13; YES), the gesture recognition unit 22 determines that the gesture is a tap operation (step S14). On the other hand, when it is determined that the period close to the intensity peak is 50 ms or less (step S13; NO), the gesture recognition unit 22 determines that the gesture is a single-finger swipe (step S15).

  Next, when it is determined that the output signal peak of the photo reflector 13 is not one (step S12; NO), the gesture recognition unit 22 determines whether the output signal peak of the photo reflector 13 is two. (Step S16). As a result, when it is determined that there are two peaks in the output signal of the photo reflector 13 (step S16; YES), the gesture recognition unit 22 determines that the gesture is a two-finger swipe (step S17).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that there are not two output signal peaks (step S17; NO), the gesture recognition unit 22 further determines whether there are three output signal peaks from the photoreflector 13 (step S18). ). As a result, if it is determined that the output signal of the photoreflector 13 has three peaks (step S18; YES), the gesture recognition unit 22 determines that the gesture is a three-finger swipe (step S19). If it is determined that there are not three output signal peaks from the photoreflector 13 (step S18; NO), the gesture recognition unit 22 determines that an error has occurred.

  Subsequently, when the gesture recognition unit 22 determines that the gesture is a one-finger swipe, a two-finger swipe, and a three-finger swipe (step S15, step S17, step S19), the gesture recognition unit 22 further performs a swipe. The direction is determined (step S30). After determining that the gesture is a tap action (step S14), the gesture recognition unit 22 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the action (step S21). If the gesture recognition unit 22 determines the swipe operation, the gesture recognition unit 22 determines the direction of the swipe (step S30), and then outputs an operation signal corresponding to the determined gesture (step S21).

  Next, with reference to FIG. 7, a method of determining the swipe direction by the gesture recognition unit 22 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of step S30 of FIG.

  When the determination of the swipe direction is started, the gesture recognition unit 22 detects a change in the rising and falling signals (step S31). The gesture recognition unit 22 determines which of the rising and falling slopes of the output signal is greater based on the detection result of the change in the swipe direction signal (step S32). As a result, if it is determined that the slope of the rising edge is larger than that of the falling edge (step S32; YES), it is determined to be a right swipe (step S33). On the other hand, if it is determined that the slope of the falling is larger than the rising (step S32; NO), it is determined to be a left swipe (step S34).

  According to the input device 100 described above, the photo reflector 13 detects a user's gesture and generates an output signal, and the gesture recognition unit 22 compares the waveform of the output signal output from the photo reflector 13 with a predetermined waveform. By determining the gesture, the operation signal based on the user's gesture is transmitted to the other device 200. Thus, by determining the gesture based on the output waveform of the sensor, it is possible to easily and efficiently perform an input operation using a plurality of gestures even if there is only one photo reflector 13.

  Further, since only one photo reflector 13 is required, there is no problem that the structure becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost increases.

  Further, the gesture recognition unit 22 can determine the number of fingers of the gesture based on the waveform of the output signal output from the photo reflector 13. As a result, a plurality of gestures can be input efficiently, and a desired input can be performed quickly and reliably.

  Further, the gesture recognition unit 22 can determine the direction of the gesture swipe based on the waveform of the output signal output from the photo reflector 13. As a result, a plurality of gestures can be input efficiently, and a desired input can be performed quickly and reliably.

  As a result, even if the number of the photo reflectors 13 is one, the tap, which is an operation of tapping a finger on the surface 1a of the case 1, is performed in a state where one or three fingers are in contact with or close to the surface 1a. Right swipe, which is an operation of sliding a finger in the positive direction of the X axis, and an operation of sliding those fingers in the negative direction of the X axis with one to three fingers in contact with or close to the surface 1a It is possible to reliably determine a plurality of left swipe gestures without misrecognition.

  Further, by adopting a configuration in which the ND filter 14 is arranged in a part of the detection region of the photo reflector 13, the accuracy of determining the direction of the swipe gesture can be improved. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the distribution of the rising slope and falling slope of the detection signal in the present embodiment and the comparative example. In the same figure, the distribution when the right swipe and the left swipe are performed a plurality of times in this embodiment and the distribution when the right swipe and the left swipe are performed a plurality of times in the comparative example in which the ND filter 14 is not arranged are shown. ing. When the ND filter 14 is not disposed as in the comparative example, the peak value of the detection signal is increased and the inclination is inevitably increased. However, the sensitivity of the photo reflector 13 does not change along the X-axis direction, so the right swipe is performed. And left swipe do not divide the distribution. On the other hand, when the ND filter 14 is arranged as in the present embodiment, the distribution is divided between the right swipe and the left swipe, so based on the change between the rising slope and the falling slope. A right swipe and a left swipe can be easily distinguished.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

  9 may be provided adjacent to the photo reflector 13 as in the input device 100A according to the modification of the present invention illustrated in FIG. This figure shows an example in which the convex portion 15 is provided in the vicinity of the photo reflector 13 on the surface 1a. A concave portion may be provided instead of the convex portion 15. As described above, if the unevenness is provided adjacent to the photo reflector 13, the user can recognize the photo reflector 13 by touch. Therefore, the user can easily input a gesture without viewing.

  Further, the detection sensor built in the input device 100 is not limited to the photo reflector 13. It may be a capacitive touch sensor having a different dielectric constant along one direction or a pressure sensor having a hardness different along one direction. FIG. 10 shows a configuration of an input device 100B including a capacitive touch sensor 13B in which the detection sensors have different dielectric constants along the X-axis direction. In this case, the touch sensor 13B configuring the input device 100B includes members 15a and 15b having different dielectric constants arranged along the X axis. The touch sensor 13B may be a pressure-sensitive sensor. In that case, the pressure-sensitive sensor includes a plurality of members having different hardnesses arranged along the X-axis. Even with these detection sensors, the sensitivity of the detection sensor can be changed along the X-axis, and output signals that differ depending on the type of gesture can be generated.

  Further, another method of changing the sensitivity of the photo reflector 13 without changing the sensitivity of the photo reflector 13 by arranging the ND filter may be used. For example, the photo reflector 13 itself may be made so that the transmittance changes in the swipe direction. Moreover, you may be comprised so that the sensitivity of the photo reflector 13 may be changed by changing the directivity of LED12 or the phototransistor 11 with a lens.

  When determining the tap operation, after the determination of the duration of the period close to the peak of the output signal (the operation of step 13 in FIG. 6), the gesture recognition unit 22 changes the rising and falling signals of the signal waveform. May be judged.

  In addition, the gesture recognized by the input device 100 is not limited to that using the finger F, and may be that using another type of operator such as a touch pen or a barcode.

  One of the applications of the input apparatus of this embodiment is application to a small device such as a wristwatch type device or a spectacle type device. If the input device of the present embodiment is embedded in such a device in the eyeglass vine, various types of gesture input can be realized.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Phototransistor, 12 ... Infrared LED, 13 ... Photo reflector, 14 ... ND filter, 20 ... IC chip, 21 ... Signal receiving part, 22 ... Gesture recognition part, 23 ... Notification part, 100, 100A, 100B ... Input device , F ... finger

Claims (11)

An input device that recognizes a user's gesture,
One detection sensor for detecting a motion of the user's finger and generating a signal corresponding to the motion of the finger;
Gesture recognition means for recognizing a gesture corresponding to the generated signal;
Notification means for notifying other devices of an operation signal corresponding to the gesture recognized by the gesture recognition means;
An input device comprising:   The input device according to claim 1, wherein the gesture recognition unit recognizes the number of fingers that operate. The gesture recognition means includes:
When a swipe, which is an operation of sliding a finger in contact with or in close proximity to the screen, is performed, the number of gaps between the fingers is detected from a change in the signal generated by the detection sensor, and the number of gaps is detected. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the number of fingers is recognized. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the gesture recognition unit recognizes a swipe direction, which is an operation of sliding a finger in a state of being in contact with or close to a screen based on a change in a signal of the detection sensor. . The detection sensor is configured to change sensitivity along one direction,
The input device according to claim 4, wherein the gesture recognizing unit detects a change in sensitivity of rising and falling of a waveform of a signal generated by the detection sensor, and recognizes a swipe direction corresponding to the change in the waveform. The input device according to claim 5, wherein an ND filter is disposed in a part of the detection sensor, and the sensitivity of the detection sensor changes along one direction. The gesture recognizing means is an operation in which the screen is shortened with a finger based on the duration of a period near the peak of the intensity of the signal generated by the detection sensor and the change of the rising and falling signals of the signal waveform. The input device according to claim 1, wherein a certain tap is recognized. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the detection sensor is a photo reflector and has different transmittances along one direction. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the detection sensor is a capacitive touch sensor, and has a different dielectric constant along one direction. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the detection sensor is a pressure-sensitive sensor and has different hardness along one direction. The input device according to claim 1, wherein unevenness is provided adjacent to the detection sensor.