JP2018180749A - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic device which can be used irrespective of a housing material, increases the number of stages that can be determined with respect to a change in pressing strength, and has an operation portion to which a large number of functions can be assigned.SOLUTION: The electronic device includes a touch detection unit (161) capable of detecting a touch operation by an operator with a first piezoelectric sensor (163), a pressing detection unit (164) capable of detecting a change in pressure applied by the operator to an operation unit with a second piezoelectric sensor (166), and a determination section (167) for determining whether or not a contact state of the operator and pressure applied to the operation unit by the operator are changed based on output values of the contact detection unit (161) and the pressing detection unit (164), whereby performing operations in response to a touch operation of the operator and the change in pressure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to an electronic device that can be operated according to pressing.

  BACKGROUND In recent years, electronic devices in which functions are respectively assigned to operations such as touch and push by an operator using a touch sensor or a pressure sensor have been commercialized. For example, in a smart phone, there is a technique in which the first operation is performed when the operator touches the touch panel, and the second operation is performed when the operator further presses the touch panel from there.

  Conventionally, in order to determine such a touch operation as described above, a method has been employed in which contact is determined by a capacitive type or resistive film type sensor, and a pressed state is determined by a piezoelectric sensor.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a piezoelectric sensor is attached to a touch sensor configured by a capacitance method or a resistive film method, and the pressure applied to the touch surface by the operator is detected by the piezoelectric sensor. There is.

JP, 2011-187087, A

  However, the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the following problems. First, when the touch sensor is of the capacitance type, it can not be adopted for an electronic device whose housing is made of metal like a digital camera. In addition, in the case where the touch sensor is a resistive film type, it is determined that the touch load comes in contact with the touch surface when it exceeds a threshold. In order to determine that the operator has given the first press from this state, the user must press with a larger pressing force, and in order to determine that the second press has been given, the user must press with a greater pressing force. . At this time, since the range of pressing force that can be pressed by the operator is limited, the number of steps that can be determined is reduced.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device having an operation unit that can be used regardless of the material of the housing, can increase the number of steps that can be determined about the change in pressure strength, and can assign a large number of functions.

In order to achieve the above object, the electronic device according to the present invention is
A touch detection unit capable of detecting a touch operation by the operator by the first piezoelectric sensor; a pressure detection unit capable of detecting a change in pressure applied to the operation unit by the operator by the second piezoelectric sensor; A determination unit that determines a change in the contact state of the operator and the pressure applied to the operation unit by the operator based on the output value of the pressure detection unit; It is characterized by operating.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic device that can be used regardless of the material of the housing, increase the number of steps that can be determined about the change in pressure strength, and have an operation unit to which a large number of functions can be assigned.

It is explanatory drawing which shows transition of the press level in the electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram and sectional drawing which show the structure of a part of electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the output of the contact detection part of the electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an explanatory view showing an operation example performed with electronic equipment concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The configuration of the electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Here, the imaging device 100 will be described as an example of the electronic device.

  A system control unit 120 controls the entire imaging apparatus 100. An image sensor 121 forms an optical image of an object (not shown) through the lens 210, the diaphragm 211, the lens mounts 102 and 202, and the shutter 144, and converts the optical image into an electrical signal. An A / D converter 122 converts an analog signal output of the image sensor 121 into a digital signal. The digital signal A / D converted by the A / D converter 122 is controlled by the memory controller 125 and the system controller 120 and stored in the memory 126.

  An exposure time control unit 119 of the imaging device 121 outputs a control signal for changing the exposure time of each pixel group to the imaging device 121 according to an instruction from the system control unit. Details will be described later.

  An image processing unit 123 performs predetermined pixel interpolation processing and color conversion processing on the digital signal data A / D converted by the A / D conversion unit 122 or data from the memory control unit 125. The image processing unit 123 also includes a compression / decompression circuit that compresses / decompresses image data by adaptive discrete cosine transform (ADCT) or the like. It is also possible to read an image stored in the memory 126, perform compression processing or decompression processing, and write the processed data to the memory 126. It is also possible to generate display image data of the display 153 and the EVF 151 and perform various image processing such as brightness adjustment, contrast adjustment, gamma correction, color balance adjustment and the like.

  Reference numeral 124 denotes an AE operation unit. In order to perform an AE (automatic exposure) process, the exposure state can be measured from the photographed image.

  Reference numeral 125 denotes a memory control unit. A / D conversion unit 122, image processing unit 123, AE calculation unit 124, AF signal processing unit 129, exposure time calculation unit 130, face detection unit 156, movement amount detection unit 157, display drive unit 152, EVF drive unit 150, It controls data transmission and reception between the external removable memory unit 128 and the memory 126. The data of the A / D conversion unit 122 is written to the memory 126 via the image processing unit 123 and the memory control unit 125 or the data of the A / D conversion unit 122 directly via the memory control unit 125.

  Reference numeral 126 denotes a memory for storing data of captured still images and moving images, and images for display for reproduction, and has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images and moving images. In the memory 126, a program stack area, a status storage area, an operation area, a work area, and an image display data area of the system control unit 120 are secured. Various operations are performed by the system control unit 120 using the operation area of the memory 126.

  An electrically erasable and recordable nonvolatile memory 127 is, for example, a flash memory or an EEPROM. The non-volatile memory 127 stores a program for saving the imaging state and controlling the imaging device 100.

  Reference numeral 128 denotes an external removable memory unit for recording and reading out an image file on a recording medium such as a Compact Flash (registered trademark) or an SD card.

  A power supply unit 131 includes a battery, a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching a block to be energized, and the like, and detects the presence or absence of a battery, the type of battery, and the battery remaining amount. Further, the DC-DC converter is controlled based on the detection result and an instruction from the camera control unit 140, and a necessary voltage is supplied to each block for a necessary period.

  A camera control unit 140 controls a series of operations as a camera by transmitting and receiving to and from the shutter control unit 141, the lens control unit 204, and the flash light emission control unit 302. In addition, power control of the entire camera and transition control of the operation mode of the camera are performed.

  A shutter control unit 141 controls the shutter 144 in cooperation with the lens control unit 203 that controls the diaphragm 211 based on the exposure information from the AE calculation unit 124.

  132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137 and 138 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions to the camera control unit 140. The operation means is configured of one or more of a switch, a dial, and the like. Here, specific description of these operation means will be made. Reference numeral 132 denotes a reproduction display switch, which can perform reproduction display mode operation for displaying predetermined image data on the display 153. When the image file stored in the external removable memory unit 128 is to be reproduced and displayed, the reproduction switch 132 is always operated. When this operation is performed in the reproduction display mode, the reproduction display mode can be switched to the photographing mode.

  A menu switch 133 displays a list of various items on the display 153. The display contents include state setting related to shooting, format of recording medium, clock setting, development parameter setting, and user function setting (custom function setting).

  134 is a mode dial. Switch each function shooting mode such as automatic shooting mode, program shooting mode, shutter speed priority shooting mode, aperture priority shooting mode, manual shooting mode, portrait shooting mode, landscape shooting mode, sport shooting mode, night scene shooting mode, movie mode etc. be able to.

  A release switch 135 is a switch which is turned on when the release button is half pressed (SW1) and fully pressed (SW2). In the half-depressed state, the start of operations such as AF processing, AE processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, EF (flash light control) processing, and the like are instructed. In the fully-pressed state, an imaging process of writing image data in the memory 126 via the A / D conversion unit 122 and the memory control unit 125 using a signal read out from the imaging device 121 and operations in the image processing unit 123 and the memory 126 are used. Perform development processing. Further, the image data is read from the memory 126, compressed by the image processing unit 123, and the external detachable memory unit 128 is instructed to start an operation of a series of processing of recording processing for writing the image data.

  An operation unit 136 includes various button switches, and can perform shooting mode, continuous shooting mode, set, macro, page feed, flash setting, menu movement, white balance selection, shooting image quality selection, exposure correction, and date / time setting. Furthermore, there are switches for starting and stopping live view shooting, vertical and horizontal direction switches, zoom magnification change switches for reproduced images, quick review ON / OFF switches for automatically reproducing photographed images immediately after shooting, and switches for erasing reproduced images. It also serves as an image display ON / OFF switch of the display 153 and the EVF 151. In addition, there is a compression mode switch for selecting each compression rate of JPEG and MPEG compression and a CCD RAW mode in which a signal of an image pickup element is digitized and recorded as it is. In addition, there are an AF mode setting switch and the like for setting a one-shot AF mode in which the in-focus state of AF is maintained while the release switch is half-pressed and a servo AF mode in which the AF operation is continuously performed.

  An electronic dial 137 can set a shutter speed, an aperture value, an exposure, and the like.

  Reference numeral 138 denotes a power switch, which can switch power on and power off of the imaging apparatus 100. The power on and power off of the lens unit 200 connected to the imaging apparatus 100, the flash unit 300, and various accessory devices such as a recording medium can also be switched.

  A timer 139 has a clock function, a calendar function, a timer counter function, and an alarm function, and is used for system management such as transition time to sleep mode and alarm notification. An EVF driver 150 supplies a drive timing signal for driving the EVF 151. Further, voltage boosting means and voltage lowering means for generating a drive voltage of the EVF 151 are built in, and various drive voltages are generated and applied to the EVF 151 in synchronization with the drive timing signal.

  An EVF 151 is formed of an organic EL type, a liquid crystal type, or the like. For example, in the case of the organic EL type, an organic EL panel of a thin film transistor active matrix drive system is incorporated. One display element of the organic EL panel is composed of three RGB organic EL elements, and emits light by applying a voltage to the organic EL elements. By adjusting the voltage applied to each organic EL element from the EVF driving unit 150, it is possible to control the light emission amount of each color, and it is possible to display a desired image in gradation. Similar to the display 153, a menu screen, an image file, live view display, and the like can be performed by an instruction of the system control unit 120. The display 153 and the EVF 151 can independently turn on / off each display by the operation button 136 or the like, and it is naturally possible to simultaneously display them.

  A display driver 152 supplies a drive timing signal for driving the display 153. Reference numeral 153 denotes a display, which is configured of an organic EL type, a liquid crystal display type, or the like. Reference numeral 154 denotes backlight illumination, which comprises a light source such as an LED or a fluorescent tube, an organic EL, and a light guide plate for reflecting light, a reflection plate, and a diffusion plate. It is fixed to the back of the display 153, and projects the display 153 from the back. The display 153 can display an AF frame, an icon indicating a setting state of a camera, and the like.

  A touch panel 155 is disposed on the display 153. As a touch detection method, a resistive film method, a capacitance method, an optical method or the like is used. A contact detection unit 161 includes a high sensitivity detection unit 162 and a first piezoelectric sensor 163, and detects that the operator is in contact with the operation unit. The high sensitivity detection unit 162 is configured of a circuit or the like for amplifying the charge generated by the piezoelectric sensor 163 to a signal level detectable by a circuit at the subsequent stage. At that time, the sensitivity is set high so that a minute vibration can be detected. When the operator comes in contact with the operation unit, the minute muscle vibration of the operator is transmitted to the first piezoelectric sensor 163. As a result, the first piezoelectric sensor 163 repeats minute distortion to generate charges. The high sensitivity detection unit 162 amplifies the charge generated in the first piezoelectric sensor 163 and outputs it as a voltage.

  A pressure detector 164 includes a low sensitivity detector 165 and a second piezoelectric sensor 166, and outputs a voltage based on a change in pressure applied to the operation unit by the operator. The low sensitivity detection unit 165 is configured of a circuit or the like for amplifying the charge generated by the piezoelectric sensor 166 to a signal level that can be detected by a circuit in the subsequent stage. At this time, the sensitivity is set to be smaller than that of the high sensitivity detection unit 162. Here, the reason why the high sensitivity detection unit 162 and the low sensitivity detection unit 165 have different sensitivities is to provide different roles of touch detection and pressure detection. When the operator intensifies the pressure on the operation unit, the second piezoelectric sensor 166 is distorted and an electric charge is generated. In addition, when the operator weakens the pressure on the operation unit, the second piezoelectric sensor is distorted in the opposite direction to the direction in which the pressure is intensified, and a charge with the opposite polarity is generated. The low sensitivity detection unit 165 amplifies the charge generated in the second piezoelectric sensor 166 and outputs it as a voltage.

  Reference numeral 167 denotes a determination unit configured by a microcomputer or the like, which monitors the output voltage of the contact detection unit 161, and can determine the following operation or state with respect to a touch on the operation unit.

  The finger or the like that did not touch the operation unit has newly touched the operation unit. That is, the start of touch (hereinafter referred to as touch-down).

  In a state in which the operation unit is touched with a finger or the like (hereinafter referred to as touch-on).

  -The finger etc. which had been touched to the operation part were released. That is, the end of the touch (hereinafter referred to as touch-up).

  A state in which nothing is touched on the operation unit (hereinafter, referred to as touch-off). In addition, the determination unit 167 can monitor the output voltage of the pressing detection unit 164, and can determine the following operation with respect to pressing on the operation unit.

  -The pressing on the operation unit has been strengthened from the touch-on state.

  -The pressure has been reduced from the state in which the operation unit is pushed in.

  The touch detection unit 161 and the press detection unit 164 are provided in an overlapping manner, and the touch detection unit 161 and the press detection unit 164 perform a touch related operation (a touch operation and a touch operation on a series of operation units that can receive a touch operation and a press). Can be detected. This structure is shown in FIG. FIG. 3A is a schematic view of the operation unit of the imaging apparatus 100 as viewed from the outside, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the operation unit of the imaging apparatus 100. In addition, although the structure which piled up the contact detection part 161 and the press detection part 164 was demonstrated as an example in FIG. 3, a various change is possible for arrangement | positioning or direction within the range of the summary of this invention. When the operator performs a touch operation and a press operation on the operation unit, the touch detection unit 161 can detect the touch operation and the press detection unit 164 can detect the press. That is, when the operator applies a touch operation and a pressing force to a series of operation units on which the contact detection unit 161 and the pressure detection unit 164 overlap, the respective operations are detected. Further, a specific method of detecting a touch operation will be described later with reference to FIG. The determination unit 167 may be included in the camera control unit 140.

  When touch down is detected, touch on is also detected at the same time. Also, as long as touch-up is not detected, touch-on normally continues to be detected. After it is detected that the finger or the like being touched has touched up, touch-off is performed.

  Reference numerals 102 and 202 denote lens mounts, and an interface for connecting the imaging apparatus 100 to the lens unit 200. Reference numerals 101 and 201 denote connectors for electrically connecting the imaging apparatus 100 to the lens unit 200, and are controlled by the camera control unit 140.

  Reference numerals 111 and 301 denote accessory shoes, which are interfaces for connecting the imaging apparatus 100 to the strobe unit 300.

  An interchangeable lens type lens unit 200 can guide an optical image of an object (not shown) from the lens 210 through the aperture 211, the lens mounts 202 and 102, and the shutter 144, and form an image on the imaging device 121 .

  A lens control unit 203 controls the entire lens unit 200. The lens control unit 203 is a memory for storing operation constants, variables, programs, etc., identification information such as a number unique to the lens unit 200, management information, function information such as an aperture value, minimum aperture value, focal length, etc. It also has the function of a non-volatile memory that holds the previous setting values and the like. The lens control unit 203 controls focusing of the lens 210 according to the focusing state of the image measured by the AF signal processing unit 129, and changes the imaging position of the subject image incident on the imaging element 121 to perform AF. It is possible to perform an operation. The lens control unit 204 also has functions of controlling the aperture stop 211 and controlling the zooming of the lens 210.

  A strobe unit 300 is connected to the accessory shoe 111. An interface 301 electrically connects the flash unit 300 and the imaging apparatus 100 in the accessory shoe 111. Reference numeral 302 denotes a strobe light emission control unit that controls the entire strobe unit 300, and controls the light emission amount and the light emission timing of the light emission unit such as a xenon tube (not shown) based on the exposure information of the AE calculation unit 124 and the like. Take control.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing an output of the contact detection unit of the electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention. When the operator does not touch the operation unit, the contact detection unit 161 outputs a constant value (390, 392). When the operator comes in contact with the operation unit, the minute muscle vibration of the operator is transmitted to the first piezoelectric sensor 163. As a result, vibration occurs in the output of the contact detection unit 161 (391). The determination unit 167 determines that the touch on state is in progress while the vibration continues. This enables contact detection by the piezoelectric sensor.

  Next, an example of transition of the pressure level N and an operation example of the imaging apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5. The determination related to FIG. 1 is performed by the determination unit 167 based on the output values of the contact detection unit 161 and the pressure detection unit 164. Here, the pressure level N indicates the stage of the pressure applied by the operator to the operation unit. The determination unit 167 changes the value of the pressing level N when determining that there is a change in pressing while detecting the contact.

  First, FIG. 1A will be described. The upper graph 490 shows the transition of the pressure level N, the middle waveform 491 shows the output of the contact detection unit 161, and the lower waveform 492 shows the output of the pressure detection unit 164. The entire flow is that the operator applies a first press to the operation unit at T1, the operator applies a second press at T2, and the operator releases the finger at T3. When the operator applies the first press at T1, vibration occurs in the output of the contact detection unit 161, and the determination unit 167 determines that the touch is on. Further, the output value of the pressure detection unit 164 becomes larger than the first threshold TH1. Thereby, the determination unit 167 determines that the force with which the operator presses the operation unit is intensified, and sets the pressing level N to N = 1. Subsequently, when the operator applies a second press at T2, the output value of the press detection unit 164 becomes larger than the first threshold TH1 again. Accordingly, the determination unit 167 determines that the force with which the operator presses the operation unit is further strengthened, and sets the pressing level N to N = 2. Finally, when the operator releases the finger at T3, the vibration of the output of the contact detection unit 161 disappears. Therefore, the determination unit 167 determines that the touch-up is performed, and sets the pressure level N to N = 0.

  Subsequently, FIG. 1 (b) will be described. Similar to FIG. 1A, the upper graph 493 shows the transition of the pressure level N, the middle waveform 494 shows the output of the contact detection unit 161, and the lower waveform 495 shows the output of the pressure detection unit 164. . The operation is the same as T1 and T2 until T1 'and T2', but the flow is such that the operator reduces the pressure on the operation unit at T3 'and releases the finger at T4'. When the operator weakens the pressure at T3 ', the output value of the pressure detection unit 164 becomes smaller than the second threshold TH2. At this time, since the touch-on continues, the determination unit 167 determines that the force with which the operator presses the operation unit is weakened, and sets the pressing level N to N = 1 again. In T4 ', the same processing as in T3 is performed.

  The determination unit 167 notifies the camera control unit 140 to the system control unit 120 of the value of the constant pressing level N. The camera control unit 140 and the system control unit 120 perform predetermined operations according to the notified value of the pressure level N. An example will be described later using FIG.

  Further, although FIG. 1 shows that the pressing level N is up to N = 2 for simplification of the description, in the present embodiment, by repeating the flow of FIG. 6 described later, pressing of N = 3 or more can also be detected. . Note that the operation illustrated in FIG. 1 is an example, and in the present embodiment, even when the operator performs an operation different from that in FIG. 1, determination can be made using the flow in FIG. 6.

  Next, an operation example will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows an example of changing the image feeding speed according to the value of the pressing level N when changing the reproduced image displayed on the display 153. A portion indicated by 500 represents a graphic display in which reproduced images overlap one another, and an image displayed in the center can be reproduced. The operator can scroll the image and select a reproduced image. FIG. 5A shows the case where the pressure level N is N = 1. At this time, the arrow 501 indicates that image feeding is performed at a low speed. FIG. 5B shows the case where the pressure level N is N = 2. At this time, the arrow 502 indicates that the image feed is performed at a higher speed than in the case of FIG. 5A.

  Further, although the speed change of the image feed has been described as an example in FIG. 5, the present embodiment can be applied to various other operations.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the processing operation of the electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Each process in the flowchart is realized by the determination unit 167 executing based on the output values of the contact detection unit 161 and the press detection unit 164.

  When the determination unit 167 detects the contact of the operator from the output value of the contact detection unit 161, the process of the flow of FIG. 6 is started.

  In step S101, the determination unit 167 compares the output value of the pressure detection unit 164 with the first threshold TH1. If the output value is larger than TH1, the process proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, when the output value is smaller than TH1, the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S102, the determination unit 167 determines that the force with which the operator presses the operation unit is intensified, and sets the pressing level N to N + 1.

  In step S103, the determination unit 167 compares the output value of the pressure detection unit 164 with the second threshold TH2. If the output value is smaller than TH2, the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, when the output value is larger than TH2, the process proceeds to step S105.

  In step S104, the determination unit 167 determines that the force with which the operator presses the operation unit is weakened, and sets the pressing level N to N-1.

  In step S105, the determination unit 167 determines the presence or absence of the contact of the operator depending on whether or not the vibration of the output of the contact detection unit 161 continues. When the contact is not detected, the process proceeds to step S106. When the contact is continuously detected, the determination is repeated again from step S101.

  In step S106, the determination unit 167 determines that touch-up has occurred, and sets the pressure level N to N = 0 (touch-off state).

  According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to determine the contact state and the pressing state of the operator using the piezoelectric sensor. As a result, it is possible to provide an electronic device having an operation unit that can be used regardless of the material of the housing, can determine the level of change in pressure strength, and can assign a large number of functions.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the present invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, the imaging apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention is applicable to various other electronic devices.

  Further, although two piezoelectric sensors are used in the present embodiment, charge may be branched from one piezoelectric sensor to the high sensitivity detection unit 162 and the low sensitivity detection unit 165.

100 imaging device, 161 contact detection unit, 163 first piezoelectric sensor,
164 pressure detection unit, 166 second piezoelectric sensor, 167 determination unit

Claims (5)

A touch detection unit capable of detecting a touch operation by the operator by the first piezoelectric sensor;
A pressure detection unit capable of detecting a change in pressure applied by the operator to the operation unit by the second piezoelectric sensor;
And a determination unit that determines, based on the output values of the contact detection unit and the pressure detection unit, the contact state of the operator and the change in pressure applied to the operation unit by the operator.
An electronic device characterized by performing an operation according to a change in touch operation and pressure of an operator.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the one-step pressing is intensified when the output value of the pressing detection unit becomes larger than a first threshold during the contact detection by the contact detection unit. Electronics.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines that the one-step pressing is weakened when the output value of the pressing detecting unit becomes smaller than a second threshold during the contact detection by the contact detecting unit. Electronics.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the touch detection unit detects touch when the contact detection unit no longer detects a touch.   The contact detection unit detects a minute muscle vibration of the operator occurring at the time of touch on, the determination unit determines that the touch on state is continued while the detection of the vibration continues, and the touch off state when the vibration is not detected. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is determined to be.