JP5867554B2 - Information processing apparatus and method of operating information processing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an operation method thereof, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus that a user can perform various operations with a hand and an operation method in the information processing apparatus.

  Conventionally, various portable electronic devices having an information processing function have been developed, and various techniques for improving the operability of such portable electronic devices have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ).

  Patent Document 1 describes a portable electronic device that a user holds and operates with one hand. This portable electronic device includes a triaxial acceleration sensor, and whether the portable electronic device is shaken by the user based on the accelerations Ax, Ay, and Az in the X, Y, and Z axis directions detected by the acceleration sensor ( It is determined whether or not it has been shaken. And a portable electronic device implement | achieves a predetermined function based on the determination result.

In the portable electronic device of Patent Document 1, from the accelerations Ax, Ay, and Az in the X, Y, and Z axis directions, the reference acceleration value ([Ax ² + Ay ² + Az ² ] ^1/2 ), and the X axis direction and The determination is performed by calculating the tilt angles θ and φ in the Y-axis direction.

JP 2003-345492 A

  In recent years, not only portable electronic devices proposed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, but also notebook personal computers (hereinafter referred to as notebook PCs), for example, have been further reduced in size and are held by users. A notebook PC that can be operated even in a state has been proposed. In such a portable notebook PC, a variety of functions (hereinafter referred to as gesture functions) for associating a predetermined operation (gesture) performed by the user holding the notebook PC with a predetermined operation of the notebook PC. Improvement in operability and operability is desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to diversify gesture functions and improve operability of gesture functions in an information processing apparatus having a gesture function and an operation method thereof. .

In order to solve the above-described problems, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a device main body, an acceleration sensor, a gesture motion determination unit, and an operation execution unit. And the structure and function of a gesture operation | movement determination part and an operation execution part are as follows. The gesture motion determination unit is mounted on the apparatus main body, and a vertical or horizontal reference posture that is a holding state of the apparatus main body when a user holds the apparatus main body and executes a predetermined gesture function is mounted on the apparatus main body. The determination is made based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor. At this time, when the gesture motion determination unit is in the reference posture of the gesture motion performed by the user, the acceleration on the axis is zero, and when the apparatus main body changes from the reference posture, the acceleration on the axis according to the change. Is set, a threshold value for discrimination corresponding to the reference posture is set, acceleration on the virtual axis is calculated based on acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, and the calculated virtual It is determined whether or not the gesture motion has been executed by comparing the acceleration on the axis and the threshold for determination, and the gesture motion is determined. Further, the gesture motion determination unit determines a gesture motion by detecting a posture change from the reference posture of the apparatus main body based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, and responds to the calculated positive / negative acceleration on the virtual axis. To determine the tilt direction of the device body from the reference posture . The operation execution unit is mounted on the apparatus main body, and executes a predetermined operation corresponding to the gesture operation executed by the user based on the determination result in the gesture operation determination unit.

Moreover, the operation method of the information processing apparatus of this invention is the operation method of the said information processing apparatus of this invention, and is performed in the following procedure. First, based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor mounted on the apparatus main body, the gesture motion determination unit is a vertical state that is a holding state of the apparatus main body when the user holds the apparatus main body and executes a predetermined gesture function. The reference posture of the position or the lateral position is determined. Next, the gesture motion determination unit determines a gesture motion performed by the user by detecting a posture change from the reference posture of the apparatus main body based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor. At this time, the acceleration on the axis is zero when the gesture motion determination unit is in the reference posture of the gesture motion performed by the user, and the on-axis acceleration changes according to the change when the apparatus main body changes from the reference posture. Such a virtual axis is set, a threshold value for discrimination corresponding to the reference posture is set, acceleration on the virtual axis is calculated based on acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, and discriminated from the calculated acceleration on the virtual axis To determine whether or not the gesture motion has been executed by comparing the threshold values , determine the gesture motion, and identify the tilt direction of the device body from the reference posture according to the calculated positive or negative acceleration on the virtual axis To do. Then, the operation execution unit executes a predetermined operation corresponding to the determined gesture motion executed by the user based on the determination result of the gesture motion.

As described above, in the information processing apparatus of the present invention, when executing the gesture function, first, the gesture motion determination unit is based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor mounted on the apparatus body, and the apparatus body by the user. The reference position (how to hold) of the vertical position or the horizontal position in the holding state is determined. Next, the gesture motion determination unit determines the gesture motion executed based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor. At this time, the acceleration on the axis is zero when the gesture motion determination unit is in the reference posture of the gesture motion performed by the user, and the on-axis acceleration changes according to the change when the apparatus main body changes from the reference posture. Such a virtual axis is set, a threshold value for discrimination corresponding to the reference posture is set, acceleration on the virtual axis is calculated based on acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, and discriminated from the calculated acceleration on the virtual axis To determine whether or not the gesture motion has been executed by comparing the threshold values , determine the gesture motion, and identify the tilt direction of the device body from the reference posture according to the calculated positive or negative acceleration on the virtual axis To do. Based on the determination result, a predetermined gesture function is executed by the operation execution unit. Therefore, in the present invention, the gesture function can be realized in various ways of holding the apparatus main body.

  In the present invention, as described above, the gesture function can be realized in various ways of holding the apparatus main body. Therefore, according to the present invention, in the information processing apparatus having the gesture function and the operation method thereof, it is possible to diversify the gesture function and improve the operability of the gesture function.

1 is an external perspective view of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an internal block block diagram of the information processing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the processing block of the gesture function which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode at the time of hold | maintaining an information processing apparatus in a horizontal position. It is a figure which shows a mode at the time of hold | maintaining an information processing apparatus in a vertical position. It is a figure for demonstrating the discrimination principle of gesture operation | movement at the time of hold | maintaining an information processing apparatus in a horizontal position. It is a figure for demonstrating the discrimination principle of gesture operation | movement at the time of hold | maintaining an information processing apparatus in a horizontal position. It is a figure which shows the reference | standard attitude | position at the time of hold | maintaining an information processing apparatus in a vertical position. It is a figure for demonstrating the synthetic | combination acceleration vector in the YZ plane defined by the Y-axis and Z-axis of an acceleration sensor. It is a figure for demonstrating the setting principle of a virtual axis. It is a figure for demonstrating the setting principle of a virtual axis. It is a figure for demonstrating the setting principle of a virtual axis. It is a figure for demonstrating the discrimination principle of gesture operation | movement at the time of hold | maintaining an information processing apparatus in a vertical position. It is a figure for demonstrating the discrimination principle of gesture operation | movement at the time of hold | maintaining an information processing apparatus in a vertical position. It is a flowchart which shows the whole process sequence of the gesture function which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the discrimination | determination process of gesture operation | movement which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the processing block of the gesture function in the information processing apparatus of a comparative example. It is a flowchart which shows the whole process sequence of the gesture function in the information processing apparatus of a comparative example.

Hereinafter, an example of an information processing apparatus and an operation method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in the following order with reference to the drawings. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this.
1. 1. Basic configuration example of information processing apparatus 2. Gesture function processing block 3. Outline of gesture function and operation principle Example of gesture function processing

<1. Basic configuration example of information processing apparatus>
[Appearance structure of information processing device]
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a notebook type PC will be described as an example of the information processing apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to any information processing apparatus having a gesture function. .

  The apparatus main body 100 a of the information processing apparatus 100 includes a main body unit 1, a display unit 2, and two hinges 3. In the example shown in FIG. 1, two hinges 3 are attached in the vicinity of both ends of the long side end 1 a on the display unit 2 side of the main body 1, and the display 2 is connected to the main body through the two hinges 3. 1 is attached. The display unit 2 is attached to the main body unit 1 so as to be rotatable about a line connecting the centers of the two hinges 3 as a central axis. The display unit 2 is rotated by the rotation operation of the display unit 2. Opened and closed with respect to part 1. In the present embodiment, the opening angle between the main body 1 and the display unit 2 is less than 180 degrees, and is about 120 to 140 degrees at the maximum.

  The main body 1 includes a palm rest unit 4 (keyboard unit) that constitutes a portion on the upper surface side (side facing the display portion 2), and a main body unit 5 that constitutes a portion on the bottom surface side of the main body portion 1. The main body 1 is configured by integrally combining a palm rest unit 4 and a main body unit 5. The palm rest unit 4 and the main unit 5 are both constituted by a plurality of members, but neither is a screw or the like that stands out on the exterior surface.

  The palm rest unit 4 is provided with operators such as a keyboard 6, a stick pointer 7, and a first click button 8. The stick pointer 7 is an operator used when, for example, a cursor (pointer) displayed on the display screen 10 described later is moved or a scroll operation of the display screen 10 is performed. Provided.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, for example, a printed circuit board on which a plurality of electronic components and the like are mounted, a heat dissipation unit, drives such as a hard disk drive, and the like are mounted on the main unit 5. For example, a CPU, a memory, and other electronic components are mounted on the printed board.

  Further, although not shown in FIG. 1, for example, an acceleration sensor used for various gesture functions to be described later is mounted on the main unit 5. In addition, the arrangement position of the acceleration sensor can be arranged at an arbitrary position, and may be provided in the display unit 2, for example. Further, when the acceleration sensor is mounted on the main unit 5, the acceleration sensor is appropriately set in consideration of the arrangement relationship with other electronic components mounted on the main unit 5. In the present embodiment, for example, an acceleration sensor is arranged near the lower part of the key of the letter “R”.

  The display unit 2 is provided inside the housing 9, the display screen 10 provided on the surface of the housing 9 on the side facing the main body 1, the touch pad 11 and the second click button 12. A display processing unit (not shown) that performs predetermined display processing.

  The display screen 10 is a screen for displaying various information such as characters and images. The touch pad 11 is an operator used when, for example, a cursor (pointer) displayed on the display screen 10 is moved or a display screen 10 is scrolled. In the present embodiment, a capacitive sensor is used. Use.

[Internal configuration of information processing device]
Next, an internal configuration (hardware configuration) of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 is a block diagram of hardware of the information processing apparatus 100.

  The information processing apparatus 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a host bus 104, a bridge 105, an external bus 106, an interface 107, and the like. Is provided. The information processing apparatus 100 includes an input device 108, an output device 109, a storage device 110, a drive 111, a connection port 112, a communication device 113, and an imaging device 114. Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 100 includes an acceleration sensor 115 and a microcomputer 21 (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer 21).

  The CPU 101 (main CPU) functions as an arithmetic processing device and a control device. Specifically, the CPU 101 performs the entire operation in the information processing apparatus 100 or a part thereof in accordance with various programs recorded in the ROM 102, the RAM 103, the storage apparatus 110, or the removable recording medium 201 connected via the drive 111. To control. Note that the CPU 101 also controls execution processing of a later-described gesture function in the information processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment.

  The ROM 102 stores programs and calculation parameters used by the CPU 101. The RAM 103 temporarily stores programs used when the CPU 101 performs control processing, parameters necessary for the execution, and the like.

  The CPU 101, the ROM 102, and the RAM 103 are connected to each other via a host bus 104 configured by an internal bus (not shown) such as a CPU bus. Data such as the above-described programs and calculation parameters are input / output between the CPU 101, the ROM 102 and the RAM 103 via the host bus 104. The host bus 104 is connected to an external bus 106 such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect / Interface) bus via the bridge 105.

  The input device 108 includes operation means operated by the user such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, buttons, switches, and levers. That is, the stick pointer 7 and the first click button 8 provided on the main body 1 and the touch pad 11 and the second click button 12 provided on the display unit 2 are included in the input device 108. The input device 108 may include, for example, a remote control device (so-called remote controller) that uses infrared rays or other radio waves. Furthermore, the input device 108 may include an input function that can be directly operated from an external connection device 202 such as a mobile phone or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants).

  The input device 108 includes, for example, an input control circuit that generates an operation signal corresponding to an operation performed by a user using the above-described various operation means, and outputs the generated operation signal to the CPU 101. The CPU 101 executes processing corresponding to the operation performed by the user based on the operation signal output from the input device 108.

  The output device 109 includes a display device that can visually notify the acquired information to the user, an audio output device that can audibly notify the user, and the like. That is, the display screen 10 provided in the display unit 2 described above is included in the output device 109. As the display device, for example, a CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) display device, a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display device, an EL (Electro-Luminescence) display device, a lamp, or the like can be used. Further, the audio output device is constituted by, for example, a speaker and headphones. Further, the output device 109 may include, for example, a printer device, a mobile phone, a facsimile, and the like.

  The output device 109 outputs results obtained by various processes performed by the information processing apparatus 100. Specifically, various display devices included in the output device 109 display results obtained by various processes performed by the information processing apparatus 100 as text or images. In addition, various audio output devices included in the output device 109 convert audio signals including reproduced audio data and acoustic data into analog signals and output the analog signals.

  The storage apparatus 110 is an apparatus for storing data, and includes, for example, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device, or a magneto-optical storage device. The storage device 110 stores programs executed by the CPU 101 and various data, and acoustic signal data and image signal data acquired from the outside.

  The drive 111 is a recording medium reader / writer. In the example shown in FIG. 2, an example in which the drive 111 is built in the information processing apparatus 100 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the drive 111 is configured to be externally attached to the information processing apparatus 100. Also good. The drive 111 reads predetermined information recorded on the mounted removable recording medium 201 and outputs it to the RAM 103. The drive 111 can also write information to the mounted removable recording medium 201.

  The removable recording medium 201 is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory. More specifically, the removable recording medium 201 is, for example, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a BD (Blu-ray Disc: registered trademark), a compact flash (registered trademark) card, a memory stick, or an SD (Secure Digital) memory. Consists of cards and the like. The removable recording medium 201 may be, for example, an IC card on which a non-contact IC (Integrated Circuit) chip is mounted, an external electronic device, or the like.

  The connection port 112 is a port for directly connecting an external device to the information processing apparatus 100. For example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, i. It consists of IEEE 1394 ports such as Link, SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) ports, and the like. Furthermore, the connection port 112 includes, for example, an RS-232C port, an optical audio terminal, an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface (registered trademark)) port, and the like. By connecting the external connection device 202 to the connection port 112, the information processing apparatus 100 acquires acoustic signal data and image signal data directly from the external connection device 202, or acquires acoustic signal data and image signal data from the external connection device 202. Can be provided.

  The communication device 113 is a communication interface configured with communication devices and the like necessary for connecting the information processing apparatus 100 to the network 203, for example. The communication device 113 includes, for example, a communication card for wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or WUSB (Wireless USB). Further, the communication device 113 includes an optical communication router, an ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) router, various communication modems, and the like. The information processing apparatus 100 can transmit / receive predetermined information to / from the Internet and other communication devices via the communication apparatus 113, for example. The network 203 is a network connected to the communication device 113 by wire or wireless, and is, for example, the Internet, a home LAN, an infrared communication network, a radio wave communication network, a satellite communication network, or the like.

  Although not shown, the imaging device 114 includes an imaging optical system and an imaging element. Incident light (image light) from the subject is captured by the imaging optical system, and the image light is imaged on the image sensor. The imaging element acquires a captured image by converting the amount of incident light that has been imaged into an electrical signal (photoelectric conversion). The captured image acquired from the imaging element may be a moving image acquired in time series or a still image acquired at a temporary point. The image sensor is configured by, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type or MOS (Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) type image sensor.

  The acceleration sensor 115 detects information (acceleration) related to the attitude (tilt) of the apparatus main body 100a. In the present embodiment, a triaxial acceleration sensor is used as the acceleration sensor 115, and the inclination of the apparatus main body 100a is calculated based on the acceleration (gravity acceleration) component in each axis direction detected by the acceleration sensor 115. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the X-axis direction of the acceleration sensor 115 is the longitudinal direction of the main body 1, the Y-axis direction is the short direction of the main body 1, and the Z-axis direction is the keyboard. 6 in the direction perpendicular to the formation surface.

  The microcomputer 21 performs processing such as keyboard control and power supply control in the same manner as a conventional notebook PC. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the microcomputer 21 (gesture motion determination unit) is connected to the acceleration sensor 115, acquires acceleration data in each axial direction detected by the acceleration sensor 115, and based on the acquired acceleration data, Performs various discrimination processes for the gesture function. Specifically, for example, the microcomputer 21 determines the reference posture of the holding state of the information processing apparatus 100 and the user according to the operation principle of the gesture function described later using the acceleration data in each axial direction detected by the acceleration sensor 115. The gesture action executed by is identified. The operation execution process corresponding to the gesture motion determined by the microcomputer 21 is performed by an operation execution unit 22 described later in the CPU 101.

  The microcomputer 21 initializes various operation settings of the acceleration sensor 115 when executing the gesture function. Furthermore, when executing the gesture function, the microcomputer 21 notifies the operation execution unit 22 described later in the CPU 101 of that effect. The microcomputer 21 includes, for example, a ROM (not shown) in which data such as various threshold values used for gesture discrimination and initialization setting values of the acceleration sensor 115 are stored.

  In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the arithmetic processing, processing algorithm, and the like performed by the microcomputer 21 when determining the gesture motion can be further simplified. Therefore, a light gesture function can be realized even if various processes of the gesture function are imposed on the microcomputer 21 for performing processes such as keyboard control and power supply control that have been conventionally mounted on notebook PCs.

  Note that the above-described internal configuration (hardware configuration) of the information processing apparatus 100 is an example, and each of the above-described constituent elements may be configured using general-purpose members, or specialized in functions corresponding to the respective constituent elements. It may be configured by hardware. Therefore, the hardware configuration to be used can be changed as appropriate according to the technical level at the time of implementing this embodiment.

<2. Processing block for gesture function>
Next, a configuration of a processing unit for executing a gesture function in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram of a processing system necessary for performing various operations with the gesture function. In FIG. 3, only the processing system necessary for executing the gesture function is shown, and other configurations are omitted.

  The processing unit for executing the gesture function includes the microcomputer 21 described above and the operation execution unit 22 included in the CPU 101.

  The operation execution unit 22 receives a notification from the microcomputer 21 indicating that a predetermined gesture operation has been performed, and acquires information (hereinafter referred to as an event factor) for specifying the gesture from the microcomputer 21. Then, the operation execution unit 22 executes a process corresponding to the determined gesture action based on the acquired event factor. For example, taking page turning of the display screen 10 as an example of the gesture function, the operation execution unit 22 controls the display unit 2 upon receiving a notification from the microcomputer 21 indicating that a predetermined gesture operation has been performed. The display screen 10 is paged in a predetermined direction.

  The operation execution unit 22 executes the above-described process only after receiving a notification from the microcomputer 21 indicating that a gesture has been performed. Therefore, the operation execution unit 22 is configured as an upper layer of the microcomputer 21 in the processing flow in the CPU 101. However, this invention is not limited to this, The microcomputer 21 and the operation execution part 22 may be comprised integrally.

  In addition, the operation execution unit 22 executes not only gesture function processing but also operation processing corresponding to other functions.

<3. Outline of gesture function and operation principle>
[Outline of gesture function]
Next, an outline of a gesture function that can be executed by the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be briefly described. As notebook PCs become smaller, there are multiple ways to hold them. In this case, it is necessary to make the gesture function compatible with various ways of holding. In the present embodiment, an example of the information processing apparatus 100 capable of realizing a gesture function in two ways of holding will be described.

  The two ways of holding are shown in FIGS. 4 shows a state in which one short side end and the other short side end of the main body 1 of the information processing apparatus 100 are gripped by the right hand and the left hand (hereinafter, this holding state is referred to as a horizontal state). It is a figure which shows the mode of a position. On the other hand, FIG. 5 shows a state in which the information processing apparatus 100 is held by being rotated 90 degrees from the horizontal position (hereinafter, this holding state is referred to as the vertical position).

  In the present embodiment, in the holding posture of the information processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 4 or 5, the information processing apparatus 100 is tilted (flicked) in a predetermined direction, thereby performing a predetermined operation such as a page turning operation for a display page, for example. An example of the gesture function to be executed will be described. In the present embodiment, when the information processing apparatus 100 is rotated 90 degrees from the horizontal position, the display image displayed on the display screen 10 is also set to rotate 90 degrees. This rotation process is performed by the CPU 101 based on a signal detected by the acceleration sensor 115.

[Operation principle of gesture function]
In the present embodiment, the reference posture in the holding state shown in FIG. 4 or 5 is determined based on the acceleration component of each axis obtained from the acceleration sensor 115, and the posture change (tilt) from the reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100 is determined. Is determined. Then, the information processing apparatus 100 executes a gesture function corresponding to the determination result. Hereinafter, the operation principle of the gesture function in the holding posture in the horizontal position and the vertical position will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) Gesture Function in Horizontal Position Holding Position The operation principle when the user executes the gesture function while holding the information processing apparatus 100 in the horizontal position as shown in FIG. ) And FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b).

  FIG. 6A is a front view of the information processing apparatus 100 showing a reference posture when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the horizontal position and the gesture function is executed. FIG. 6B is a characteristic diagram illustrating a change in the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction output from the acceleration sensor 115 with respect to the inclination of the lateral position of the information processing apparatus 100 from the reference posture, and the horizontal axis represents the X-axis. Is the inclination angle θ from the reference posture, and the vertical axis is the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction. FIG. 7A is a front view showing a holding state of the information processing apparatus 100 when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the horizontal position and the gesture function is executed. FIG. 7B is a characteristic diagram showing a change in the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction output from the acceleration sensor 115 with respect to the inclination from the reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100, and the horizontal axis is the X-axis reference posture. And the vertical axis represents the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction.

  However, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 7B, in this embodiment, the acceleration in each axial direction output from the acceleration sensor 115 is an acceleration that changes in a sine wave shape according to the inclination of each axis. A sensor 115 is used. Also, in FIGS. 6A and 7A, the illustration of the user's hand holding the information processing apparatus 100 is omitted to simplify the description.

  When the user holds the information processing apparatus 100 in the horizontal reference posture, as shown in FIG. 6A, the X axis of the acceleration sensor 115 substantially coincides with the horizontal axis (hereinafter referred to as the horizontal axis). Therefore, the determination axis of the gesture function in this case is the X axis. In this embodiment, the inclination direction from the X-axis reference posture in the horizontal position is calculated, and a predetermined gesture function is executed.

  In the gesture function in the horizontal position holding posture, when the user first holds the information processing apparatus 100 (device main body 100a) in the reference posture, the X-axis direction and the horizontal direction substantially coincide with each other as shown in FIG. . In this case, the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction output from the acceleration sensor 115 is substantially zero (see a black circle in FIG. 6B).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7A, the user rotates the information processing apparatus 100 from the reference posture (horizontal axis) in the clockwise direction within the surface facing the user by an angle θ1 so that the X axis of the acceleration sensor 115 is rotated. Tilt. As a result of this tilting motion (gesture motion), the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction output from the acceleration sensor 115 is a positive acceleration corresponding to the tilt angle θ1 from the horizontal axis of the X-axis, as shown in FIG. (See black circles in FIG. 7B). Although not shown, when the user rotates the information processing apparatus 100 counterclockwise from the reference posture within the surface facing the user, the acceleration Ax output from the acceleration sensor 115 is negative. Acceleration value.

  Then, the microcomputer 21 compares the X-axis direction acceleration Ax output from the acceleration sensor 115 with a predetermined threshold value, identifies the user's gesture (clockwise tilting operation or counterclockwise tilting operation), and executes the operation. The unit 22 executes a process corresponding to the gesture. In this example, as the threshold value, the information processing apparatus 100 is tilted in the clockwise direction (clockwise direction) and the counterclockwise direction (counterclockwise direction) when the information processing apparatus 100 is tilted in the clockwise direction (clockwise direction). Two types of threshold values (negative values) are prepared.

  Here, as an example of a gesture function performed by holding the information processing apparatus 100 in the horizontal position, page turning of the display screen 10 is taken as an example, and an operation example thereof will be briefly described. For example, when the user tilts the information processing apparatus 100 clockwise from the reference position of the horizontal position, the user's gesture is determined by the microcomputer 21 and the image of the next page is displayed. On the contrary, when the user tilts the information processing apparatus 100 counterclockwise from the reference position of the horizontal position, the user's gesture is determined by the microcomputer 21 and the image of the previous page is displayed.

(2) Gesture Function in Vertical Position Holding Position The operation principle when the user executes the gesture function while holding the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical position as shown in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to the drawings. To do. However, in this embodiment, the gesture operation when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the vertical position and the gesture function is executed is a rotation operation with the X axis of the acceleration sensor 115 as the central axis.

  Further, when executing the gesture function while holding the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical position, the information processing apparatus 100 is usually executed in a state where the surface facing the user on the keyboard forming surface side of the information processing apparatus 100 is fully opened. It is assumed that Therefore, in the operation principle of the gesture function in the vertical position described below, the state where the keyboard facing surface side of the information processing apparatus 100 faces the user is fully opened, that is, the opening between the main body 1 and the display 2. The operation when the angle is maximized will be described.

  When the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the vertical position, there are two types of reference postures. The holding example of FIG. 8 (a) and (b) is shown. FIGS. 8A and 8B are front views as seen from the user side when the user holds the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical reference posture. However, in FIGS. 8A and 8B, illustration of a user's hand holding the information processing apparatus 100 is omitted for the sake of simplicity.

  When the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the vertical position, as shown in FIG. 8A, the display unit 2 is held so as to be positioned on the right side of the main body unit 1 when viewed from the user side, and FIG. ), The display unit 2 may be held so as to be positioned on the left side of the main body unit 1 when viewed from the user side. In the present embodiment, the gesture function can be executed with the same principle in any posture in the vertical position. Therefore, only the operation principle of the gesture function in the holding posture in the vertical position shown in FIG. This will be described in detail.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B show the relationship of acceleration component vectors in the respective axial directions of the acceleration sensor 115 when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the vertical position. FIG. 9A is a rear perspective view when the user holds the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical position. FIG. 9B shows a combined vector YZ of the acceleration Ay in the Y-axis direction and the acceleration Az in the Z-axis direction output from the acceleration sensor 115, the acceleration vector y in the Y-axis direction, and the acceleration vector z in the Z-axis direction. It is a figure which shows the relationship. In FIG. 9B, the horizontal axis represents the acceleration Ay in the Y-axis direction, and the vertical axis represents the acceleration Az in the Z-axis direction.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, since the gesture operation when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the vertical position and the gesture function is executed is a rotation operation with the X axis as the central axis, acceleration in the X axis direction is performed. Ax does not change. Further, the vector synthesized from the acceleration vectors in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions obtained by the acceleration sensor 115 coincides with the gravity vector G as shown in FIG. Therefore, the magnitude of the combined vector YZ synthesized by the acceleration vector y in the Y-axis direction and the acceleration vector z in the Z-axis direction of the acceleration sensor 115 is independent of the rotation amount and the rotation direction of the information processing apparatus 100 with respect to the X-axis. It becomes constant. As a result, the locus of the combined vector YZ becomes a circular locus as shown by the broken line in FIG. This indicates that even when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the vertical position, the gesture motion can be determined by the change in the inclination of one determination axis.

  Here, in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the bottom view when the user holds the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical reference posture and the characteristics of the acceleration Ay in the Y-axis direction output from the acceleration sensor 115 are shown. Each is shown. The horizontal axis of the characteristic shown in FIG. 10B is the tilt angle φ of the Y axis from the horizontal axis, and the vertical axis is the acceleration Ay in the Y axis direction.

  When the user holds the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical reference posture, normally, the angle between the horizontal axis and the short axis (Y axis) of the main body 1 as shown in FIG. And the angle between the horizontal axis and the axis in the short direction of the display unit 2 is substantially the same. That is, when the user holds the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical reference posture, the main body unit 1 and the display unit 2 are inclined substantially symmetrically with respect to the direction orthogonal to the horizontal direction. The angle φ between the horizontal axis and the Y axis can be calculated in advance from the maximum opening angle φa between the main body 1 and the display unit 2. For example, when the maximum opening angle φa between the main body 1 and the display unit 2 is about 120 to 140 degrees, the angle φ between the horizontal axis and the Y axis is about 20 to 30 degrees.

  In the present embodiment, the gesture determination is performed by determining the inclination of the information processing apparatus 100 from the vertical reference posture shown in FIG. 10A in the rotation direction about the X axis. However, in the vertical reference orientation shown in FIG. 10A, the Y axis of the acceleration sensor 115 is inclined by an angle φ with respect to the horizontal axis, and therefore, as shown by the black circles in FIG. The axial acceleration Ay does not become substantially zero. Therefore, in this case, in the reference posture shown in FIG. 10A, the acceleration value corresponding to the angle φ is always subtracted from the acceleration Ay in the Y axis direction so that the acceleration Ay in the Y axis direction becomes substantially zero. It is necessary to do.

  However, in this embodiment, in order to eliminate such extra calculation, a virtual axis in a direction parallel to the horizontal axis (horizontal direction) is newly set as a determination axis, and the inclination direction of the virtual axis is determined. Determine gesture motion. In the example shown in FIG. 10A, in a state where the information processing apparatus 100 is fully opened, a predetermined reference point A at the end of the long side opposite to the display unit 2 side of the main body 1 and the reference point A The direction connecting the reference point B of the long side end opposite to the main body 1 side of the display unit 2 in the same Y-Z plane is defined as a virtual axis. That is, in the present embodiment, a virtual axis parallel to the horizontal direction is set in a plane (YZ plane) orthogonal to the X axis. When the virtual axis is set in this way, the acceleration on the virtual axis becomes substantially zero in the vertical reference posture as described later.

  Hereinafter, a virtual axis in a direction connecting the reference point A and the reference point B in FIG. 10A is referred to as a virtual Y axis. In the present embodiment, a virtual axis perpendicular to the horizontal plane including the horizontal axis in the vertical position shown in FIG. FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the virtual Y axis and the virtual Z axis. As shown in FIG. 11, the virtual Y axis is parallel to the horizontal axis, and the virtual Y axis and the virtual Z axis are orthogonal to each other.

  FIG. 12 shows the relationship between the acceleration Ay in the Y-axis direction and the acceleration Az in the Z-axis direction output from the acceleration sensor 115, and the acceleration Ay ′ obtained on the virtual Y-axis. 12 is an acceleration vector in the Y-axis direction of the acceleration sensor 115, the vector z is an acceleration vector in the Z-axis direction, and the combined vector YZ is a combined vector of the vector y and the vector z. is there. Now, assuming that the magnitudes (absolute values) of the vector y and the vector z are Ay and Az, respectively, and the angle between the virtual Y axis (horizontal axis) and the Y axis in the reference posture is φ, the value is obtained on the virtual Y axis. The acceleration Ay ′ to be calculated is calculated by the following formula (1).

  In the above formula (1), the accelerations Ay and Az change from the reference posture by a gesture operation. However, the angle φ in the equation (1) is a parameter calculated in advance from the maximum opening angle φa (known) between the main body 1 and the display unit 2 as described above, and does not change due to the gesture operation. That is, in this embodiment, cos φ and sin φ in the above formula (1) can be handled as constants. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when calculating the acceleration Ay ′ obtained on the virtual Y axis, it is not necessary to perform trigonometric functions, so that the calculation process can be simplified and the calculation in the microcomputer 21 is performed. The processing burden can be reduced.

  Next, the operation principle when the user executes the gesture function while holding the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical position as shown in FIG. 14 (a) and 14 (b) will be specifically described.

  FIG. 13A is a bottom view of the information processing apparatus 100 when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the vertical reference posture. FIG. 13B is a change characteristic diagram of the acceleration Ay ′ in the virtual Y-axis direction calculated by the above equation (1) with respect to the inclination of the vertical position of the information processing apparatus 100 from the reference posture. The tilt angle φ ′ from the reference orientation of the virtual Y axis is the vertical axis, and the vertical axis is the acceleration Ay ′ in the virtual Y axis direction. FIG. 14A is a bottom view showing a holding state of the information processing apparatus 100 when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the vertical position and the gesture function is executed. FIG. 14B is a change characteristic diagram of the acceleration Ay ′ in the virtual Y-axis direction calculated by the above equation (1) with respect to the inclination of the vertical position of the information processing apparatus 100 from the reference posture. The tilt angle φ ′ from the reference orientation of the virtual Y axis is the vertical axis, and the vertical axis is the acceleration Ay ′ in the virtual Y axis direction. In FIG. 13A and FIG. 14A, illustration of the user's hand holding the information processing apparatus 100 is omitted to simplify the description.

  Further, in the acceleration sensor 115 of the present embodiment, as described above, the change in the acceleration Ay with respect to the change in the tilt angle of the Y axis and the change in the acceleration Az with respect to the change in the tilt angle of the Z axis are both sinusoidal. Therefore, the change in the acceleration Ay ′ with respect to the change in the inclination angle φ ′ of the virtual Y axis also has a sine wave shape as shown in FIGS. 13 (b) and 14 (b).

  In the gesture function in the vertical holding posture, first, when the user holds the information processing apparatus 100 (device main body 100a) in the vertical reference posture as shown in FIG. Direction substantially coincides with the direction of the horizontal axis. In this case, the acceleration Ay ′ in the virtual Y-axis direction is substantially zero as shown in FIG. 13B (refer to the black circle in FIG. 13B).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 14A, the user moves the information processing apparatus 100 from the reference position in the vertical position to one direction (clockwise in FIG. 14A) with an angle φ1 ′ from the X axis as the central axis. Just rotate and tilt the virtual Y axis. By this rotation operation (gesture operation), the acceleration Ay ′ on the virtual Y axis becomes a positive acceleration value corresponding to the inclination angle φ1 ′ of the virtual Y axis (see the black circle in FIG. 14B). Although not shown, when the user rotates the information processing apparatus 100 counterclockwise from the vertical reference posture with the X axis as the central axis to tilt the virtual Y axis, the acceleration Ay ′ on the virtual Y axis is It becomes a negative acceleration value corresponding to the inclination angle of the virtual Y axis.

  At this time, the microcomputer 21 compares the acceleration Ay ′ on the virtual Y axis calculated by the above equation (1) with a predetermined threshold value, and the user's gesture (clockwise rotation operation or counterclockwise rotation operation). ) Is specified, and the operation execution unit 22 executes a process corresponding to the gesture. In this example, as the threshold value, a threshold value (plus value) when the information processing apparatus 100 is rotated clockwise around the X axis as a central axis and a threshold value (negative value) when the information processing apparatus 100 is rotated counterclockwise are used. 2 types are prepared.

  Here, as an example of a gesture function performed by holding the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical position, page turning of the display screen 10 is taken as an example, and an operation example thereof will be briefly described. For example, when the user rotates the information processing apparatus 100 in the clockwise direction from the vertical reference posture, the microcomputer 21 determines the user's gesture and displays the image of the next page. Conversely, when the user rotates the information processing apparatus 100 counterclockwise from the vertical reference posture, the user's gesture is determined by the microcomputer 21 and the image of the previous page is displayed.

  In order to realize the gesture function with the posture (the posture shown in FIG. 8B) holding the information processing apparatus 100 so that the display unit 2 is positioned on the left side of the main body unit 1 when viewed from the user side, Similar to the principle, a virtual axis may be set.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the virtual axis is set so that the horizontal direction (horizontal axis) is the reference even when the user executes the gesture function while holding the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical position. In this case, the gesture determination can be performed using one determination axis, similar to the operation of the gesture function when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the horizontal position.

  Therefore, when the virtual axis is set as described above when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the vertical position and the gesture function is executed, the processing method of the gesture function, the data used for the processing, and the like are stored in the information processing apparatus 100. Can be shared regardless of how they are held. In this case, regardless of the holding posture (how to hold) of the information processing apparatus 100, it is possible to simplify the processing algorithm and the like of the gesture function in common.

<4. Example of gesture function processing>
[Gesture action processing procedure]
Next, an overall processing flow of the gesture operation in the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the gesture action processing procedure in this embodiment.

  First, although not shown in FIG. 15, the information processing apparatus 100 activates, for example, a gesture function processing mode. It should be noted that the activation of the processing mode of the gesture function may be executed by a predetermined operation by the user, or may be automatically activated simultaneously with the activation of the information processing apparatus 100.

  Next, the microcomputer 21 initializes various operation settings of the acceleration sensor 115 (step S1). As a result, the acceleration data in each axial direction of the acceleration sensor 115 can be periodically monitored by the microcomputer 21.

  Next, the microcomputer 21 acquires acceleration data in each axis direction from the acceleration sensor 115 (step S2). Then, the microcomputer 21 determines the reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100 and specifies the gesture motion executed by the user based on the acquired acceleration data in each axial direction (step S3). Note that a more specific processing procedure of the gesture motion determination processing in step S3 will be described in detail later.

  Next, the microcomputer 21 determines whether the user has performed a gesture operation on the information processing apparatus 100 based on the determination result of step S3 (step S4).

  In step S4, when the microcomputer 21 determines that the gesture operation is not executed by the user, step S4 is NO. In this case, the process returns to step S2, and the processes after step S2 described above are repeated.

  On the other hand, if the microcomputer 21 determines in step S4 that the gesture operation has been executed by the user, step S4 is YES. In this case, the microcomputer 21 notifies the operation execution unit 22 that the gesture operation has been executed (step S5).

  Subsequently, the operation execution part 22 receives the notification of gesture execution from the microcomputer 21, and acquires the event factor which identifies the performed gesture from the microcomputer 21 (step S6). Specifically, the operation execution unit 22 acquires information about the tilt direction (information indicating whether the rotation is performed clockwise or counterclockwise) from the microcomputer 21 as an event factor.

  Then, based on the acquired event factor, the operation executing unit 22 controls each unit in the information processing apparatus 100 necessary for executing the gesture operation, and executes a corresponding process (step S7). Next, after executing the gesture operation, the process returns to step S2 to repeat the processes after step S2 described above. In this embodiment, the gesture function is realized in this way.

[Gesture action discrimination process procedure]
Next, a more specific procedure of the gesture motion determination process performed in step S3 in FIG. 15 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the determination process performed in step S3 in FIG.

  In the determination of the reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100 in the determination process shown in FIG. 16, the horizontal reference posture shown in FIG. 6A and the vertical reference posture shown in FIGS. Three types are discriminated. Therefore, here, as described in the operation principle of the gesture function, the X axis or the virtual Y axis of the acceleration sensor 115 is used as a discrimination axis, the inclination of the discrimination axis from the horizontal direction is calculated, and the calculation result An example of executing the gesture function will be described based on the above. In the following description, the horizontal reference posture shown in FIG. 6A is referred to as posture A, and the two vertical reference postures shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B are referred to as posture B and posture C, respectively. Call it.

  After the microcomputer 21 acquires acceleration data in each axial direction of the acceleration sensor 115 in step S2 in FIG. 15, the microcomputer 21 first determines the current holding state reference of the information processing apparatus 100 based on the acquired acceleration data. The posture is determined (step S31).

  Specifically, in step S31, the microcomputer 21 determines the current reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100 based on, for example, the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 6B, the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction obtained from the acceleration sensor 115 changes in a sine wave shape according to the inclination of the X-axis from the horizontal axis. Therefore, when the holding posture of the information processing apparatus 100 is the posture A, the value of the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction is a value near zero. When the holding posture of the information processing apparatus 100 is the posture B, the value of the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction is a positive value. Further, when the holding posture of the information processing apparatus 100 is the posture C, the value of the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction is a negative value.

  Therefore, by determining whether or not the value of the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction obtained from the acceleration sensor 115 is within a predetermined range near zero, the holding posture is the horizontal position (posture A) or the vertical position ( Posture B or Posture C) can be determined. When the holding posture is the vertical position, the posture B and the posture C can be further determined by determining whether the acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction is positive or negative.

  Next, the microcomputer 21 determines whether or not the determination result of the reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100 obtained in step S31 is the posture A (step S32).

  If the determination result obtained in step S31 is posture A, step S32 is YES. In this case, the microcomputer 21 sets a determination axis for the gesture motion in the posture A (step S33). Specifically, when the reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100 is posture A, the microcomputer 21 sets the determination axis for the gesture motion as the X axis as described in the operation principle of the gesture function. Next, the microcomputer 21 sets a threshold value for determining the gesture motion in the posture A (step 34).

  Then, the microcomputer 21 compares the acquired acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction with the determination threshold value set in step S34, and specifies the gesture motion executed by the user (step 40). More specifically, the microcomputer 21 determines whether or not a gesture operation has been executed by the user by determining whether or not the absolute value of the acquired acceleration Ax in the X-axis direction is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the threshold value. . Further, at this time, the microcomputer 21 determines the inclination direction (rotation direction) of the information processing apparatus 100 during the gesture operation by determining whether the acceleration Ax is positive or negative. Thereafter, the processing after step S4 described in FIG. 15 is repeated.

  If the determination result obtained in step S31 is not posture A, step S32 is NO. In this case, the microcomputer 21 determines whether or not the determination result of the reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100 obtained in step S31 is the posture B (step S35).

  If the determination result obtained in step S31 is posture B, step S35 is YES. In this case, the microcomputer 21 sets a determination axis for the gesture motion in the posture B (step S36). Specifically, when the reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100 is posture B, the microcomputer 21 sets the determination axis for the gesture motion as the virtual Y axis as described in the operation principle of the gesture function. Next, the microcomputer 21 sets a threshold value for determining the gesture motion in the posture B (step S37).

  Next, the microcomputer 21 calculates the acceleration Ay ′ in the virtual Y-axis direction based on the equation (1) from the acceleration data acquired in step S2. Then, the microcomputer 21 compares the calculated acceleration Ay ′ in the virtual Y-axis direction with the determination threshold value set in step S37 to determine whether or not a predetermined gesture operation has been performed by the user (step 40). ). More specifically, the microcomputer 21 determines whether or not a gesture operation has been executed by the user by determining whether or not the absolute value of the calculated acceleration Ay ′ on the virtual Y axis is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the threshold value. Determine. Further, at this time, the microcomputer 21 determines the inclination direction (rotation direction) of the information processing apparatus 100 during the gesture operation by determining whether the acceleration Ay ′ is positive or negative. Thereafter, the processing after step S4 described in FIG. 15 is repeated.

  On the other hand, if the determination result obtained in step S31 is not posture B, that is, if the posture determination result obtained in step S31 is posture C, step S35 is NO. In this case, the microcomputer 21 sets a determination axis for the gesture motion in the posture C (step S38). Specifically, when the reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100 is the posture C, the microcomputer 21 sets the determination axis for the gesture motion to the virtual Y axis as with the posture B. Next, the microcomputer 21 sets a threshold value for determining the gesture motion in the posture C (step S39).

  Next, the microcomputer 21 calculates the acceleration Ay ′ in the virtual Y-axis direction based on the equation (1) from the acceleration data acquired in step S2. Then, the microcomputer 21 compares the calculated acceleration Ay ′ in the virtual Y-axis direction with the determination threshold value set in step S39, and determines whether or not a predetermined gesture operation has been performed by the user (step). 40). Thereafter, the processing after step S4 described in FIG. 15 is repeated. In the present embodiment, in this way, the reference posture of the information processing apparatus 100 during the gesture motion is determined and the gesture motion is specified.

[Comparative example]
Here, for comparison, an example (comparative example) in which a conventional gesture function processing method using an acceleration sensor is applied to an information processing apparatus (notebook type PC) will be described more specifically with reference to the drawings. To do. FIG. 17 shows a block configuration of a processing unit for executing the gesture function in the comparative example. In the gesture function processing block shown in FIG. 17, the same components as those in the gesture function processing block of the embodiment shown in FIG.

  The processing unit for executing the gesture function of the comparative example includes a microcomputer 301 that performs processing such as keyboard control and power control, and an operation execution unit 302 included in the CPU 101. The configuration itself is similar to the gesture function processing unit (FIG. 3) of the above embodiment, but the function of each unit is different.

  In the comparative example, the operation execution unit 302 periodically acquires acceleration data detected by the acceleration sensor 115 via the microcomputer 301, and the operation execution unit 302 also determines the gesture motion. In the comparative example, the operation execution unit 302 executes not only the gesture function processing but also operation processing corresponding to other functions, as in the above embodiment.

  Further, the processing procedure of the gesture function in the comparative example will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the gesture motion processing procedure in the comparative example.

  First, although not shown in FIG. 18, the information processing apparatus activates, for example, a gesture function processing mode. Next, the microcomputer 301 initializes various operation settings of the acceleration sensor 115 (step S51). Next, the operation execution unit 302 acquires acceleration data in each axis direction from the acceleration sensor 115 via the microcomputer 301 (step S52).

  Then, the operation execution unit 302 determines a gesture motion based on the acquired acceleration data in each axial direction (step S53). Next, the operation execution unit 302 determines whether or not a predetermined gesture operation has been performed by the user on the information processing apparatus based on the determination result of step S53 (step S54).

  In step S54, when the operation execution unit 302 determines that the predetermined gesture motion is not executed by the user, step S54 is NO. In this case, the process returns to step S52, and the processes after step S52 described above are repeated.

  On the other hand, if the operation execution unit 302 determines in step S54 that the predetermined gesture operation has been executed by the user, step S54 is YES. In this case, the operation execution unit 302 controls each unit in the information processing apparatus 100 necessary for executing the determined gesture operation, and executes a corresponding process (step S55).

  Next, after executing the gesture operation, the process returns to step S52, and the processes after step S52 described above are repeated. In the comparative example, the gesture function is executed in this way.

  As described above, in the process at the time of executing the gesture function of the comparative example, the operation execution unit 302 (CPU 101) periodically acquires acceleration data and determines the gesture motion. Therefore, in the comparative example, it is necessary to constantly monitor the movement of the information processing apparatus with the operation execution unit 302 (main CPU), the processing amount in the operation execution unit 302 increases, and the power consumption increases. Further, this may reduce the processing speed of functions other than the gesture function.

  On the other hand, in the above embodiment, acceleration data acquisition and gesture motion determination processing are performed by the microcomputer 21 instead of the operation execution unit 22 (CPU 101). Therefore, in the above embodiment, an increase in power consumption in the operation execution unit 22 can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, the operation execution part 22 should just access the microcomputer 21 and perform predetermined | prescribed gesture operation, only when there exists notification of gesture operation | movement from the microcomputer 21. FIG. Therefore, in the above embodiment, useless polling processing of the operation execution unit 22 at the time of executing the gesture function can be eliminated. As a result, in the processing method of the gesture function of the above-described embodiment, the processing time can be significantly reduced, and a decrease in processing speed of other functions can be suppressed.

  That is, according to the gesture function processing method of the above-described embodiment, it is possible to realize a gesture function that is light and quick with low power consumption, which is difficult in the past.

  Further, in the comparative example, when the information processing apparatus is provided with a three-axis acceleration sensor and thereby the inclination of the information processing apparatus is calculated (step S53), complicated calculation using a function such as an inverse trigonometric function is usually required. become. Therefore, in order to easily realize the gesture function in the comparative example, it is necessary to mount the CPU 101 (main CPU) having high processing capability in the information processing apparatus. On the other hand, in the above embodiment, the microcomputer 21 performs various determination processes when executing the gesture function, and the determination process does not perform complicated calculations. Therefore, in this embodiment, a microcomputer with low processing capability can be used as the microcomputer 21.

[Variations]
The processing method of the gesture function of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the same effect can be obtained in the following modification, for example.

  In the above embodiment, when the gesture function is executed while holding the information processing apparatus 100 in the vertical position, the virtual Y axis is used as the discrimination axis as shown in FIG. 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. . Instead of the virtual Y axis, the virtual Z axis shown in FIG. 11 may be used as the discrimination axis. In this case as well, the gesture motion can be determined in the same manner as the principle described in the operation principle of the gesture function.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the virtual axis is set when the information processing apparatus 100 is held in the vertical position has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The virtual Y axis is set in the same manner as in the above embodiment even when a gesture function that associates a rotation operation with the X axis as a central axis and a predetermined operation is executed with the information processing apparatus 100 held in the horizontal position, for example. Then, the gesture motion may be determined.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the virtual Y axis is set as the virtual axis when realizing the gesture function that associates the rotation operation about the X axis with the predetermined operation has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The virtual axis can be arbitrarily set according to, for example, the type of gesture function, the holding posture of the information processing apparatus 100, and the like. More specifically, as the virtual axis, the acceleration on the virtual axis is substantially zero when the information processing apparatus 100 is in the reference attitude, and the virtual axis is on the virtual axis when the attitude of the information processing apparatus 100 changes from the reference attitude. Any axis that changes the acceleration can be set arbitrarily.

  For example, when the information processing apparatus 100 includes a gesture function that associates a rotation operation about the Y axis or the Z axis of the acceleration sensor 115 with a predetermined operation, the virtual axis is appropriately set in the same manner as in the above embodiment. Thus, the gesture motion can be determined. In this case, for example, in a plane orthogonal to the Y axis or the Z axis, a virtual axis that is parallel to the horizontal direction and in which the acceleration on the virtual axis is substantially zero at the reference posture may be set as appropriate.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the gesture operation is executed with the maximum opening angle φa between the main body unit 1 and the display unit 2 (full open state) in the gesture operation in the vertical position has been described. It is not limited. The opening angle between the main body 1 and the display unit 2 may not be the maximum. However, in this case, a sensor for detecting the opening angle between the main body 1 and the display unit 2 is provided, and further, the data of the opening angle detected by the sensor and the cos φ and sin φ in the above formula (1) It is preferable to store in advance data indicating the correspondence relationship in the apparatus. By storing such correspondence data in advance, cos φ and sin φ in the formula (1) can be handled as constants as in the above embodiment, and the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above embodiment, when the microcomputer 21 receives an event notification of gesture motion (step S5 in FIG. 15) from the microcomputer 21, the operation execution unit 22 acquires an event factor from the microcomputer 21 (step S6). However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the event factor is stored in the operation execution unit 22 in advance, the operation execution unit 22 determines the event factor corresponding to the event notification input from the microcomputer 21 and executes a predetermined gesture operation. May be. Further, for example, event factor information may be output from the microcomputer 21 to the operation execution unit 22 together with the event notification.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the gesture motion is two types of motion that are opposite to each other (clockwise or counterclockwise) from the reference posture has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a gesture function in which a one-way gesture corresponds to a predetermined operation, and the same effect can be obtained. In this case, only one type of acceleration threshold value used for determination of the gesture motion may be prepared.

    Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the example which performs the various processes of a gesture function in the microcomputer 21 for performing processes, such as keyboard control and power supply control, this invention is not limited to this. A separate microcomputer may be provided for the gesture function processing.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body part, 2 ... Display part, 3 ... Hinge, 4 ... Palm rest unit, 5 ... Main body unit, 6 ... Keyboard, 7 ... Stick pointer, 8 ... 1st click button, 9 ... Case, 10 ... Display screen, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Touchpad, 12 ... 2nd click button, 21 ... Microcomputer, 22 ... Operation execution part, 100 ... Information processing apparatus, 100a ... Apparatus main body, 101 ... CPU, 115 ... Acceleration sensor

Claims (9)

Acceleration sensor mounted on the apparatus main body and mounted in the apparatus main body with a vertical or horizontal reference posture that is a holding state of the apparatus main body when the user holds the apparatus main body and executes a predetermined gesture function When determining a gesture motion performed by a user by detecting a change in posture of the apparatus main body from the reference posture based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor. A virtual axis is set such that the acceleration on the axis is zero when the device main body is in the reference posture of the gesture motion, and the acceleration on the axis changes according to the change when the device main body changes from the reference posture. And setting a threshold value for discrimination corresponding to the reference posture, calculating an acceleration on the virtual axis based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, and calculating the calculated Whether the gesture motion has been executed to determine by comparing the acceleration with the threshold value for determining the virtual axis, to determine the gesture operation, in response to said positive and negative acceleration on the virtual axis issued the calculated A gesture motion determination unit for specifying a tilt direction of the apparatus main body from a reference posture ;
An information processing apparatus, comprising: an operation execution unit that is mounted on the apparatus main body and that executes a predetermined operation corresponding to the gesture motion executed by a user based on a determination result in the gesture motion determination unit.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an input detection unit that detects an input operation by a user.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the input detection unit includes a touch panel.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus main body includes a display unit.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the virtual axis is set according to a holding posture by a user of the apparatus main body. Information processing comprising: an acceleration sensor mounted on the apparatus main body; a gesture operation determination unit that determines a gesture operation performed by the user on the apparatus main body; and an operation execution unit that executes a predetermined operation corresponding to the gesture operation Based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, the gesture motion determination unit of the device is a vertical position that is a holding state of the device main body when the user holds the device main body and executes a predetermined gesture function or Determining a reference posture for the lateral position ;
When the gesture body determination unit determines a gesture motion performed by a user by detecting a change in posture of the device body from the reference posture based on acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, A virtual axis is set such that the acceleration on the axis is zero when in the reference posture of the gesture motion, and the acceleration on the axis changes according to the change when the apparatus main body changes from the reference posture, A threshold for discrimination corresponding to the reference posture is set, acceleration on the virtual axis is calculated based on acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, and the acceleration on the virtual axis and the threshold for discrimination are calculated. whether the gesture motion has been executed to determine by comparison, to determine the gesture operation, before according to the positive or negative acceleration on the virtual axis issued the calculated Identifying a direction of inclination of the apparatus body from the reference posture,
And a step of executing a predetermined operation corresponding to the determined gesture motion executed by a user based on the determination result of the gesture motion.   The information processing apparatus operating method according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus main body includes an input detection unit that detects an input operation by a user.   The operation method of the information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the input detection unit includes a touch panel.   The information processing apparatus operating method according to claim 6, wherein the apparatus main body includes a display unit.

Images