JP2016062154A - Touch panel control device, electronic instrument and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel control device that reduces an operation failure of a hidden button in a device implementing prescribed processing on the basis of the hidden button.SOLUTION: A touch panel control device 10 comprises: a touch panel 5; a storage unit 7; a determination unit 61; a change unit 62; and a processing unit 63. In the touch panel 5, a plurality of hidden buttons is arranged. The touch panel 5 is configured to detect a touch operation specifying the hidden button. The storage unit 7 is configured to store procedure information 71. The determination unit 61 is configured to determine whether the touch operation detected L-th matches a L-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information 71. The change unit 62 is configured to change a display form of a prescribed display element displayed on the touch panel 5 when it is determined that the detected touch operation is a proper operation. The processing unit 63 is configured to implement prescribed processing when it is determined that a series of K touch operations all are proper.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel control device, an electronic device including the touch panel control device, and a method for controlling the touch panel.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an apparatus that performs a predetermined process when a plurality of hidden buttons arranged on a screen (buttons whose outlines are not displayed on the screen) are operated according to a registration procedure registered in advance ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

  The processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 stores a button table and a pattern table. The button table includes area information of hidden buttons arranged on the screen. The pattern table indicates a correspondence relationship between a predetermined operation pattern related to the hidden button and processing executed when the hidden button is operated with the operation pattern. The operation pattern is defined by the order in which the hidden buttons are operated, the number of times, and the time interval. When the hidden button is operated, the processing apparatus determines whether the operation pattern (actual operation pattern) matches the operation pattern (registered operation pattern) indicated by the pattern table. When the actual operation pattern matches the registered operation pattern, the processing apparatus executes a process associated with the registered operation pattern.

  Here, the function realized by the processing associated with the registered operation pattern is a function for the administrator, and is a function that is not desired to be used by general users. With the above-described configuration, the processing device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 can provide a function for an administrator only to an administrator who knows the existence of a hidden button. In other words, the function for the administrator can be prevented from being used by general users who do not know the existence of the hidden button. Therefore, according to the processing apparatus, the administrator can easily perform the function for the administrator by operating the hidden button on the screen while ensuring the security for preventing the general user from using the function for the administrator. Will be available.

JP-A-11-272384

  However, it is not easy for an administrator to operate a hidden button whose outer shape is not displayed on the screen according to a correct procedure, that is, according to a registration procedure. To ensure high security for functions for administrators, the registration procedure needs to be complicated to some extent. However, the more complicated the registration procedure, the more the administrator can operate the hidden button in the correct procedure. It becomes difficult and the operation of the hidden button is likely to fail.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel control device and an electronic device that can reduce the failure of the hidden button operation in an apparatus that performs a predetermined process based on the operation of the hidden button. And providing a method.

  A touch panel control device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a touch panel, a storage unit, a determination unit, a change unit, and a processing unit. The touch panel includes a display unit and a detection unit. A plurality of hidden buttons are arranged on the display unit. The detection unit detects a touch operation that designates at least one of the plurality of hidden buttons. The storage unit stores procedure information indicating K touch operations (K is a natural number) and the order of the K touch operations. The determination unit determines whether or not the L-th touch operation detected by the detection unit (L is a natural number equal to or less than K) is a correct operation that matches the L-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information. . In the first case, when the touch operation detected by the detection unit as the Mth (M is at least one of natural numbers smaller than K) is determined to be a correct operation, the change unit displays the change in the display unit. The display mode of the displayed predetermined display element is changed. The processing unit performs a predetermined process when it is determined that all of the series of K touch operations detected by the detection unit are correct operations.

  An electronic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a touch panel control device. The touch panel control device includes a touch panel, a storage unit, a determination unit, a change unit, and a processing unit. The touch panel includes a display unit and a detection unit. A plurality of hidden buttons are arranged on the display unit. The detection unit detects a touch operation that designates at least one of the plurality of hidden buttons. The storage unit stores procedure information indicating K touch operations (K is a natural number) and the order of the K touch operations. The determination unit determines whether or not the L-th touch operation detected by the detection unit (L is a natural number equal to or less than K) is a correct operation that matches the L-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information. . In the first case, when the touch operation detected by the detection unit as the Mth (M is at least one of natural numbers smaller than K) is determined to be a correct operation, the change unit displays the change in the display unit. The display mode of the displayed predetermined display element is changed. The processing unit performs a predetermined process when it is determined that all of the series of K touch operations detected by the detection unit are correct operations.

  A method according to another aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling a touch panel including a display unit and a detection unit. A plurality of hidden buttons are arranged on the display unit. The detection unit detects a touch operation that designates at least one of the plurality of hidden buttons. The method includes a first step, a second step, and a third step. In the first step, it is determined whether or not the L-th touch operation detected by the detection unit (L is a natural number equal to or less than K) is a correct operation that matches the L-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information. It is a step to do. The procedure information indicates K touch operations (K is a natural number) and the order of the K touch operations. The second step is performed when the touch operation detected by the detection unit as the Mth (M is at least one of natural numbers smaller than K) is determined to be a correct operation. It is a step which changes the display mode of the predetermined display element currently displayed on the part. The third step is a step of performing a predetermined process when it is determined that all of the series of K touch operations detected by the detection unit are correct operations.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the apparatus which performs a predetermined | prescribed process based on operation of a hidden button, the touchscreen control apparatus, electronic device, and method which can reduce the failure of operation of a hidden button are provided.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an example of an image forming apparatus as an example of an electronic apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a touch panel according to the embodiment. FIG. 3A is a configuration diagram of an example of the setting screen. FIG. 3B is a configuration diagram of an example of the management screen. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example of an image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an example of procedure information according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an example of area information according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of touch panel control processing according to the embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, all of the constituent elements described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solving means of the invention. The same code | symbol has shown the same component through several figures.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an example of an image forming apparatus 100 as an example of an electronic apparatus according to the embodiment.

  The image forming apparatus 100 is, for example, a multi function peripheral (MFP). The image forming apparatus 100 has functions of a scanner, a copier, a printer, and a facsimile (FAX). The image forming apparatus 100 includes an image forming unit 1 that forms an image on a sheet S, an image reading unit 2 that reads an image of a document, a document transport unit 3 that transports a document to be read, and the image forming apparatus 100 to a user. And an operation unit 4 for operation.

  The image forming unit 1 includes a paper feed cassette 11, a paper feed roller 12, a transport roller pair 13, a registration roller pair 14, an image forming unit 15, a fixing unit 16, a discharge roller pair 17, and a discharge tray 18. With. The paper feed roller 12 feeds the sheets S from the paper feed cassette 11 one by one. The sheet S fed out by the paper feed roller 12 is conveyed to the image forming unit 15 by the conveyance roller pair 13 and the registration roller pair 14.

  The image forming unit 15 forms an image on the sheet S conveyed from the paper feed cassette 11. The image forming unit 15 includes a photosensitive drum 151, a charging device 152, an exposure device 153, a developing device 154, a transfer roller 155, and a cleaning device 156. The charging device 152 charges the photosensitive drum 151 to a predetermined potential. The exposure device 153 outputs a laser beam based on the image data to expose the photosensitive drum 151, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data on the photosensitive drum 151. As the image data, for example, image data generated by the image reading unit 2 reading a document or image data received from an external computer via a communication network is used.

  The developing device 154 supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 151 and develops it, and forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum 151. The transfer roller 155 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 151 onto the sheet S. Specifically, the transfer roller 155 is brought into pressure contact with the photosensitive drum 151 to form the first nip portion. Then, when the sheet S passes through the first nip portion, a predetermined voltage is applied to the transfer roller 155, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 151 is transferred to the sheet S. The cleaning device 156 removes residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 151 after the transfer.

  The fixing unit 16 thermally fixes the image (toner image) formed on the sheet S to the sheet S. The fixing unit 16 includes a heating roller containing a heating element and a pressure roller. The heating roller and the pressure roller form a second nip portion by being pressed against each other. As the sheet S passes through the second nip portion, the toner on the surface of the sheet S is melted and heated, and the toner image is fixed on the sheet S. The sheet S on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the first discharge tray 18 by the discharge roller pair 17.

  The operation unit 4 includes a plurality of operation keys 41 and a touch panel 5. The operation key 41 is a hard key for the user to input information to the image forming apparatus 100. Examples of the operation key 41 include a start key for instructing the start of execution of various functions such as copying, and a numeric keypad for inputting the number of copies to be printed.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the touch panel 5 according to the embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the touch panel 5 includes a housing 50, a display unit 51 having a display surface 511, and an operation detection unit 52 (detection unit) having an operation surface 521. The display unit 51 and the operation detection unit 52 are accommodated in and supported by the housing 50. An elastic member 53 is provided between the end of the display unit 51 and the end of the operation detection unit 52, and the display unit 51 and the operation detection unit 52 are arranged so as to overlap each other at a predetermined interval. .

  The display unit 51 is a liquid crystal display, for example. Various screens are displayed on the display surface 511 of the display unit 51. The screen displayed on the display unit 51 includes a display area for various information related to the image forming apparatus 100, soft keys for inputting characters, item buttons for allowing the user to specify items to be set or executed, and a hidden button to be described later. Buttons are arranged. Examples of the screen displayed on the display unit 51 include a setting screen 5A shown in FIG. 3A and a management screen 5B shown in FIG.

  The setting screen 5A is a screen displayed when various settings of the image forming apparatus 100 are performed. On the setting screen 5A, a plurality of item buttons 54, a plurality of hidden buttons 55, and a character “U 920” (hereinafter referred to as “specific display element”) 56 are arranged. The hidden button 55 is a button whose outer shape is not displayed on the screen. The hidden button 55 is operated by a person who knows its existence (in this embodiment, an administrator). In FIG. 3A, for the convenience of explanation, the outer shape of the hidden button 55 is represented by a dotted line. However, in practice, the outer shape of the hidden button 55 is not displayed on the screen, and the user hides the hidden button 55. Cannot be seen.

  The management screen 5B is a screen displayed when the hidden button 55 is correctly operated according to a registration procedure registered in advance. In the management screen 5B, a display area for information 57 for managers is arranged. The manager information 57 is information presented only to the manager, and includes information necessary for managing the image forming apparatus 100, icons for instructing the user to execute the manager function, and the like.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the description of the touch panel 5 will be continued. The operation detection unit 52 is disposed on the display surface 511 side of the display unit 51. The operation detection unit 52 is a transparent or translucent member, and is made of, for example, a glass material. The screen displayed on the display surface 511 is visually recognized by the user via the operation detection unit 52.

  The operation detection unit 52 detects an operation on the operation surface 521, specifically, when an operation of touching the operation surface 521 with a fingertip or a dedicated pen is performed. When the touching operation is continued for a certain period of time, that is, when the touch operation is performed for a long time, the operation detection unit 52 detects the start and end of the operation. The operation on the operation surface 521 is performed, for example, to designate a soft key, an item button 54, or a hidden button 55 on the screen displayed on the display unit 51. When the operation detection unit 52 detects an operation on the operation surface 521, the operation detection unit 52 transmits a detection signal indicating the operation to the control unit 6 (see FIG. 4). In the present embodiment, among the operations on the operation surface 521, an operation for designating at least one of the plurality of hidden buttons 55 (in the case of a plurality of them, designating them simultaneously) is referred to as a “touch operation”.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a touch panel control device 10. The touch panel control device 10 includes a touch panel 5, a control unit 6, and a storage unit 7. The touch panel 5 and the memory | storage part 7 are connected so that communication with the control part 6 is possible.

  The storage unit 7 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a secondary storage device. The secondary storage device is a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or a flash memory. Various computer programs executed by the control unit 6 are stored in the ROM of the storage unit 7. The storage unit 7 stores procedure information 71 and area information 72.

  The procedure information 71 is information indicating a registration procedure. Specifically, the procedure information 71 indicates K touch operations (K is a natural number) corresponding to each step of the registration procedure, and the order of the K touch operations. The procedure information 71 indicates the contents of each of the K touch operations. In the present embodiment, the procedure information 71 includes, as the contents of each of the K touch operations, one or more hidden buttons 55 designated by each touch operation, and the duration of each touch operation (from the start to the end of the long press). Time range). Hereinafter, the number K of touch operations constituting the registration procedure is referred to as “number of operations”. Details of the procedure information 71 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The area information 72 is information indicating an area on the screen where the hidden button 55 is arranged. Details of the region information 72 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The control unit 6 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). In the present embodiment, the control unit 6 is a control unit for the entire image forming apparatus 100 and also a control unit for the touch panel control device 10. For example, the control unit 6 controls the image forming unit 1 to cause the image forming unit 1 to form an image. Further, the control unit 6 controls the image reading unit 2 to cause the image reading unit 2 to read an image of a document.

  When the control unit 6 receives a detection signal from the touch panel 5, the control unit 6 specifies the soft key, the item button 54, or the hidden button 55 designated by the user, and specifies the specified soft key, the item button 54, or the hidden button. Processing according to 55 is performed. When the touch operation is performed, the control unit 6 specifies the designated hidden button 55 based on the detection signal and the area information 72. In addition, the control unit 6 outputs a display signal to the touch panel 5 to display a desired screen on the display unit 51, or to change information on the screen displayed on the display unit 51, or the information thereof. The display mode of is changed. The control unit 6 includes a determination unit 61, a change unit 62, and a processing unit 63.

  The determination unit 61 determines whether or not the hidden button 55 is correctly operated according to the registration procedure. Specifically, the determination unit 61 is a correct operation in which the L-th touch operation detected by the operation detection unit 52 (L is a natural number equal to or less than K) matches the L-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information 71. It is determined whether or not.

In the present embodiment, each touch operation constituting the registration procedure is indicated by one or more hidden buttons 55 designated by the touch operation and a duration range of the touch operation. Therefore, the determination unit 61 determines that the touch operation detected Lth is the correct operation when the following conditions (A) and (B) are satisfied at the same time.
Condition (A): One or more hidden buttons 55 designated by the L-th detected touch operation match one or more hidden buttons 55 designated by the L-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information 71.
Condition (B): The first duration of the L-th detected touch operation is a time within the range of the duration of the L-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information 71. Here, the first duration is the duration of the final touch operation after the long press is finished.

  The change unit 62 determines that the touch operation detected by the operation detection unit 52 as the Mth (M is at least one of natural numbers smaller than K) is a correct operation (hereinafter, “first case”). In other words, the display mode of a predetermined display element (in this embodiment, the specific display element 56) displayed on the display unit 51 is changed. Changing the display mode is, for example, changing the blinking frequency when the specific display element 56 is blinking.

  In other words, the change unit 62 changes the display mode of the specific display element 56 when the touch operation corresponding to one step of the registration procedure is correctly performed, and indicates that the touch operation has been performed correctly. The administrator who operates 55 is notified. As a result, the administrator can know whether or not the touch operation corresponding to one step of the registration procedure has been performed correctly, so that the failure of the operation of the hidden button 55 can be reduced. In this embodiment, M is all natural numbers smaller than K. Therefore, the change unit 62 changes the display mode of the specific display element 56 every time a touch operation corresponding to one step of the registration procedure is correctly performed, and notifies the administrator that the touch operation has been correctly performed. To do. Thus, each time the administrator performs a touch operation corresponding to one step of the registration procedure, the administrator can know whether or not the operation has been performed correctly, thereby reducing the failure of the operation of the hidden button 55. Can do.

  Further, in addition to the first case, the changing unit 62 has a second duration of the touch operation detected by the operation detecting unit 52 Nth (N is at least one of natural numbers equal to or less than K), The display mode of the specific display element 56 may also be changed when the time is within the duration of the Nth touch operation indicated by the procedure information 71 (hereinafter referred to as “second case”). Here, the second continuation time is the continuation time of the touch operation at the time when the long press has not ended. In this embodiment, N is all natural numbers less than or equal to K.

  That is, when the touch operation corresponding to one step of the registration procedure is performed, the changing unit 62 also displays the specific display element 56 even when the second duration of the touch operation is the correct time. You may change a display mode and notify an administrator of that. As a result, when the administrator is performing a touch operation corresponding to one step of the registration procedure, at what timing should the touch operation be terminated, that is, at what timing should the long press be released Since it can be known, the failure of the operation of the hidden button 55 can be further reduced.

  Here, the specific display element 56, that is, the letter “U 920” is, for example, a letter indicating device information (version or the like). Therefore, it is difficult for general users to know that the character has a special function (that is, a function for notifying the success or failure of the touch operation) in addition to indicating the device information. Only the administrator knows that the display mode of the specific display element 56 is changed in the first case and the second case. Therefore, even when the above configuration is adopted, security is ensured so that the information 57 for managers is not presented to general users.

  When the hidden button 55 is correctly operated according to the registration procedure, the processing unit 63 determines that all of a series of several (K) touch operations detected by the operation detection unit 52 are correct operations. If it does, a predetermined process is performed. The predetermined process is a process for displaying predetermined information (in this embodiment, information 57 for the administrator) on the display unit 51 of the touch panel 5, for example. In the present embodiment, the processing unit 63 causes the display unit 51 to display the management screen 5B including the manager information 57 when the hidden button 55 is correctly operated according to the registration procedure.

  The functions of the control unit 6 and the functions of the determination unit 61, the change unit 62, and the processing unit 63 are realized by the control unit 6 executing various computer programs loaded from the ROM to the RAM. Instead of realizing the functions of the determination unit 61, the changing unit 62, and the processing unit 63 with software, hardware that implements these functions may be installed in the image forming apparatus 100.

  FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an example of the procedure information 71 according to the embodiment.

  The procedure information 71 is expressed in a table format as shown in FIG. 5, for example. The procedure information 71 includes a data field for the operation order 711 and a data field for the operation content 712. The operation content 712 stores data indicating the content of each of several touch operations (three in the example shown in FIG. 5) constituting the registration procedure. The operation order 711 stores data indicating the order of each touch operation constituting the registration procedure.

For example, the procedure information 71 shown in FIG. 5 indicates that the registration procedure includes the following three steps (1) to (3).
Step (1): First, a touch operation for designating the hidden button A is performed for a time within the first range (4 to 6 seconds).
Step (2): After step (1), a touch operation for designating the hidden button E is performed for a time within the second range (1-2 seconds).
Step (3): After step (2), a touch operation for designating the hidden button C is performed for a time within the third range (8 to 12 seconds).

  FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an example of the area information 72 according to the embodiment.

  The area information 72 is expressed in a table format as shown in FIG. 6, for example. The area information 72 includes a data field of the hidden button 721 and a data field of the area 722. The hidden button 721 stores data for specifying each of the plurality of hidden buttons 55 arranged on the screen, for example, the name or identifier of the hidden button 55. The area 722 stores data for specifying the area on the screen where the hidden button 55 is arranged, for example, the upper left coordinate value and the lower right coordinate value of the area.

  Hereinafter, processing performed by the touch panel control device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. The touch panel control apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment performs touch panel control processing shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of touch panel control processing according to the embodiment.

  First, the control unit 6 displays the setting screen 5A on the display unit 51 of the touch panel 5 in accordance with an instruction from the administrator (step S101). At this time, the control unit 6 causes the specific display element 56 on the setting screen 5A to blink at a predetermined initial frequency.

  Here, the storage unit 7 stores data indicating a possible range (hereinafter referred to as “frequency range”) of the blinking frequency when the specific display element 56 is blinked. The lower limit value of the frequency range (hereinafter referred to as “lower limit frequency”) and the upper limit value of the frequency range (hereinafter referred to as “upper limit frequency”) are blinked when a specific display element 56 is blinked at a frequency within the frequency range. Is set to such a value that can be visually recognized. For example, the lower limit frequency is 1 Hz and the upper limit frequency is 8 Hz. The initial frequency is set to 1 Hz, which is a lower limit frequency, for example.

  Next, the control unit 6 sets a predetermined variable (hereinafter referred to as “count number”) stored in the storage unit 7 to 0 (step S102). The count number is used to count the number of touch operations detected by the operation detection unit 52.

  Thereafter, when the operation detection unit 52 detects the start of the touch operation (step S103: YES), the control unit 6 increases the count number by 1 (step S104). Hereinafter, the touch operation detected for the number of counts by the operation detection unit 52 is referred to as “target touch operation”.

  After that, the changing unit 62 specifies the second touch time of the target touch operation when the time is within the range of the touch time of the count-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information 71 (second case). The blinking frequency of the display element 56 (hereinafter referred to as “flashing frequency”) is changed (step S105). That is, the changing unit 62 changes the blinking frequency and notifies the administrator that the second duration of the target touch operation has reached the correct time.

  For example, the blinking frequency is changed as follows. That is, the changing unit 62 may increase the blinking frequency by a predetermined number of times (2, 3, 3, 1/2, 1/3, etc.). Moreover, the change part 62 is good also considering the frequency obtained by adding or subtracting a predetermined value to the blinking frequency before a change as the blinking frequency after a change.

The blinking frequency is repeatedly changed while the touch operation is repeated. The changing unit 62 may change the blinking frequency in accordance with, for example, the following rule (a) and rule (b) changing rule so that the changed blinking frequency is always within the frequency range.
Rule (a): The blinking frequency is increased by X (X> 1) until the blinking frequency reaches the upper limit frequency.
Rule (b): The blinking frequency is decreased by 1 / X until the blinking frequency reaches the lower limit frequency.

  For example, when the lower limit frequency is 1 Hz, the upper limit frequency is 8 Hz, the initial frequency is 1 Hz, and the value of X in the change rule is 2, the blinking frequency is 1 Hz → 2 Hz → 4 Hz → 8 Hz → 4 Hz → 2 Hz → 1 Hz → 2 Hz →... For example, when the lower limit frequency is 1 Hz, the upper limit frequency is 4 Hz, the initial frequency is 1 Hz, and the value of X in the change rule is 2, the blinking frequency is 1 Hz → 2 Hz → 4 Hz → 2 Hz → 1 Hz → 2 Hz → 4 Hz →...

  Thereafter, when the operation detection unit 52 detects the end of the target touch operation, the determination unit 61 determines whether or not the target touch operation is a correct operation that matches the count-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information 71. (Step S106).

  Specifically, the determination unit 61 determines that the target touch operation is a correct operation when the above-described conditions (A) and (B) are satisfied at the same time (here, L = count number).

  When it is not determined that the target touch operation is a correct operation (step S106: NO), the control unit 6 sets the count number to 0 (step S107) and advances the process to step S103. That is, in this case, since the hidden button 55 has not been correctly operated in accordance with the registration procedure, the control unit 6 resets the count number so that the operation of the hidden button 55 is accepted from the beginning.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the target touch operation is a correct operation (step S106: YES), the control unit 6 determines whether or not the count number matches the operation number (the number K of touch operations constituting the registration procedure). Is determined (step S108).

  When the count number does not match the operation number, that is, when all the steps of the registration procedure are not completed and a further touch operation is necessary (step S108: NO), the change unit 62 blinks the specific display element 56. The frequency (flashing frequency) is changed (step S109). The method for changing the blinking frequency in step S109 is the same as the method for changing the blinking frequency in step S105. Then, the control part 6 advances a process to step S103.

  As described above, when the touch operation with the count number is correctly performed, the changing unit 62 performs the touch operation with the count number when all the steps of the registration procedure have not been completed yet (first case). Change the blinking frequency and notify the administrator that the process has been performed correctly.

  On the other hand, when the count number matches the operation number, that is, when it is determined that all of the series of touch operations detected by the operation detection unit 52 are correct operations (step S108: YES), the processing unit 63 displays the management screen 5B on the display unit 51 of the touch panel 5 (step S110). Thereafter, the control unit 6 ends the touch panel control process.

  As described above, the touch panel control device 10 according to the present embodiment changes the display mode of the specific display element 56 each time the touch operation corresponding to one step of the registration procedure is correctly performed, so that the touch operation is correctly performed. Notify the administrator of the problem. Thus, each time the administrator performs a touch operation corresponding to one step of the registration procedure, the administrator can know whether or not the operation has been performed correctly, thereby reducing the failure of the operation of the hidden button 55. Can do.

  In addition, the touch panel control device 10 according to the present embodiment can perform the touch operation corresponding to one step of the registration procedure when the second duration time of the touch operation becomes a correct time. The display mode of the specific display element 56 may be changed to notify the administrator of the change. As a result, when the administrator is performing a touch operation corresponding to one step of the registration procedure, at what timing should the touch operation be terminated, that is, at what timing should the long press be released Since it can be known, the failure of the operation of the hidden button 55 can be further reduced.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the display element whose display mode is to be changed is the specific display element 56, that is, the letter “U 920”. However, the display element is not limited to this, and the display unit is displayed when a touch operation is performed. Other characters, graphics, or images displayed in 51 may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the method of changing the blinking frequency is adopted as a method of changing the display mode of the predetermined display element. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other methods such as the display direction of the predetermined display element, A method of changing the color or the like may be employed.

  In the present embodiment, the processing unit 63 displays predetermined information (in this embodiment, information 57 for the administrator) on the display unit 51 of the touch panel 5 when the hidden button 55 is correctly operated according to the registration procedure. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the processing unit 63 may display the outline of the hidden button 55 on the display unit 51 when the hidden button 55 is correctly operated according to the registration procedure. For example, when the hidden button 55 is correctly operated according to the registration procedure, the processing unit 63 may perform other processing, for example, processing for forming an image including information provided to the administrator on the sheet S. .

  In the present embodiment, the hidden button 55 for displaying the manager information 57 is arranged on the setting screen 5A. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be arranged on other screens.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 is illustrated and described as an electronic apparatus including the touch panel control device 10, but the electronic apparatus is not limited to the image forming apparatus 100, and other electronic apparatuses including the touch panel 5, for example, It may be a mobile phone or a tablet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image forming apparatus 10 Touch panel control apparatus 5 Touch panel 51 Display part 52 Operation detection part 55 Hidden button 56 Specific display element 57 Information for managers 6 Control part 61 Determination part 62 Change part 63 Processing part 7 Storage part 71 Procedure information 72 Area information

Claims (7)

A touch panel comprising: a display unit on which a plurality of hidden buttons are arranged; and a detection unit that detects a touch operation that specifies at least one of the plurality of hidden buttons;
A storage unit that stores procedure information indicating K touch operations (K is a natural number) and the order of the K touch operations;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the touch operation detected by the detection unit at the Lth (L is a natural number equal to or less than K) is a correct operation that matches the Lth touch operation indicated by the procedure information;
The predetermined display displayed on the display unit when the touch operation detected by the detection unit Mth (M is at least one of natural numbers smaller than K) is determined to be a correct operation. A change unit for changing the display mode of the display elements of
A touch panel control device comprising: a processing unit that performs a predetermined process when it is determined that all of the series of K touch operations detected by the detection unit are correct operations.   The touch panel control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined process is a process of displaying predetermined information on the display unit. The procedure information indicates, for each of the K touch operations, one or more hidden buttons designated by the touch operation, and a duration range of the touch operation.
The determination unit matches one or more hidden buttons specified by the L-th detected touch operation with one or more hidden buttons specified by the L-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information, and When the final duration of the L-th detected touch operation is a time within the range of the duration of the L-th touch operation indicated by the procedure information, the L-th detected touch operation is The touch panel control device according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel control device determines that the operation is correct.   In addition to the first case, the changing unit indicates the duration of the touch operation detected by the detection unit Nth (N is at least one of natural numbers equal to or less than K) indicated by the procedure information. 4. The touch panel control device according to claim 3, wherein the display mode of the display element is changed also in a second case when the time is within the range of the duration of the Nth touch operation.   The touch panel control device according to claim 1, wherein the change in the display mode of the display element is a change in a blinking frequency of the display element.   An electronic device provided with the touch-panel control apparatus in any one of Claims 1-5. A method of controlling a touch panel comprising: a display unit on which a plurality of hidden buttons are arranged; and a detection unit that detects a touch operation that specifies at least one of the plurality of hidden buttons.
The touch operation detected by the detection unit as the Lth (L is a natural number equal to or less than K) indicates procedure information indicating K touch operations (K is a natural number) and the order of the K touch operations. Determining whether or not the correct operation matches the L-th touch operation;
The predetermined display displayed on the display unit when the touch operation detected by the detection unit Mth (M is at least one of natural numbers smaller than K) is determined to be a correct operation. Changing the display mode of the display elements of
Performing a predetermined process when it is determined that all of the series of K touch operations detected by the detection unit are correct operations.

Images