JPH0573205A - Pointing device and its cursor position fixing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the deterioration of operability of a keyboard by providing a pointing device main body and a cursor position control part which sets the cursor position on a display screen based on the detecting result of the pointing device main body. CONSTITUTION:A pointing device 7 consists of a pointing device main body 8 which detects the movements of the feet of an operator, a cursor position control part which sets the cursor position on the screen of a display 2 based on the detecting result of the main body 8, and a switch part 9 which fixes the cursor position. Thus the device 7 can freely move the cursor which points the graphics and the characters, etc., shown on the screen of the display 2. The operator can operate the cursor without releasing his hands from a keyboard 3 and can fix the cursor position. Therefore it is possible to prevent the deterioration of operability of the keyboard 3 due to the use of the device 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pointing device which is a tool used when an operator designates a position on a display screen of a computer, and a cursor position fixing method for the pointing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Up to now, a pointing device using a mouse, a trackball, a joystick, a cursor key on a keyboard, etc. has been known, but in any case, the conventional device is manually operated. That was the assumption.

[0003]

By the way, there are cases where it is more convenient to use a keyboard for operating a computer than to use a pointing device. When performing a series of operations, the pointing device must be used for some operations. For other operations, such as using the keyboard,
Many application programs have appeared, which use the pointing device and the keyboard properly according to the operation content.

However, as described above, the conventional pointing device is premised on being operated by hand, and when the input operation by the keyboard is changed to the input operation by the pointing device, the hand must be released from the keyboard.

Therefore, when returning to the keyboard input again after the input operation with the pointing device, it is difficult to promptly restart the keyboard input by the blind touch, and the operability of the keyboard is deteriorated. It was

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to perform an input operation with a pointing device without releasing the hand from the keyboard, which deteriorates the operability of the keyboard due to the use of the pointing device. An object is to provide a pointing device which can be prevented.

Further, when the position of the cursor displayed on the display screen is fixed, it is possible to avoid accidentally fixing the cursor display position, and at the same time, the cursor display position can be finely adjusted. An object of the present invention is to provide a cursor position confirmation method for a pointing device which is excellent in operability during display position adjustment.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pointing device which detects a movement of a foot, and a cursor which sets a cursor position on a display screen based on a detection result of the pointing device body. And a position control unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pointing device for detecting a position of a face of an operator with respect to a display screen, and a position of a viewpoint on the display screen of the operator from the face direction, and the viewpoint position detecting device. And a cursor position control unit for setting the cursor position on the display screen based on the detection result of the position detection device.

A pointing device according to a third aspect is an improvement of the pointing device according to the second aspect, wherein the viewpoint position detecting device includes a detecting device main body mounted on an operator's head and a display. And a position detection signal output means attached to the.

The position detecting signal output means outputs a light beam for detecting the viewpoint position from a plurality of positions around the display screen of the display to the front of the display screen. Further, the detection device body detects the incident angle of each light beam output from the position detection signal output means, and compares the detected incident angle with a reference value to determine the viewpoint position on the display screen of the operator. Ask for.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cursor position confirming method, which comprises a first confirming process for temporarily confirming a cursor display position on a display screen, a confirming canceling process for canceling the temporary confirming by the first confirming process, and a first confirming process. The second confirmation process for determining the temporary confirmation by the confirmation process as the final confirmation.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cursor position confirming method which comprises a first confirming process for temporarily confirming a cursor display position on a display screen and a cursor position fine adjusting process. Here, in the cursor position fine adjustment processing, when an operation of temporarily moving the cursor and temporarily fixing the cursor position after the temporary fixing by the first fixing processing is executed, the cursor position at the time of the temporary fixing is centered. A range having a radius from the center to the cursor position where the temporary confirmation is made later is enlarged and displayed, and the temporary fixed position can be changed within the enlarged display range.

[0014]

With the pointing device according to the present invention, the operator can move the cursor without releasing the keyboard to further determine the cursor display position. Therefore, the operability of the keyboard by using the pointing device can be improved. It is possible to prevent the deterioration.

Further, in the cursor position fixing method according to the present invention, when the position of the cursor displayed on the display screen is fixed, the cursor display position can be adjusted stepwise, so that the cursor display is carelessly displayed. It is possible to avoid fixing the position, and at the same time, it is possible to finely adjust the cursor display position, which improves operability when adjusting the display position.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a pointing device according to the present invention and a cursor position determining method in the pointing device will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment of Pointing Device]
1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a pointing device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a computer body, 2 is a display which is a standard output of the computer body 1, 3 is a keyboard which is a standard input means of the computer body 1, 4 is a desk, 5 is a chair, and 6 is An operator (operator), and 7 is a pointing device of the first embodiment.

The pointing device 7 is a device for freely moving a cursor indicating a figure, a character or the like shown on the display screen of the display 2 (hereinafter referred to as a display screen), and is a pointing device for detecting a movement of a foot. Device body 8 and a cursor position control unit (not shown) for setting the cursor position on the display screen based on the detection result of the pointing device body 8.
And a switch section 9 for fixing the cursor position set by the cursor position control section, and a signal cable 1 connecting the switch section 9 and the pointing device body 8
0, and a signal cable 11 that connects the pointing device body 8 and the computer body 1 to each other.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pointing device main body 8 has a main body frame 8a having a shoe-like structure to be attached to the foot 6a of the operator 6, and a bottom portion of the main body frame 8a. The mouse mechanism section 8b and the signal processing section 8c for transmitting a signal from the switch section 9 to the computer main body 1 via the mouse mechanism section 8b are provided.

Here, the mouse mechanism portion 8b has the same structure as a conventional mouse, and detects the moving direction by the rotating direction of the ball 8d provided at the bottom and detects the moving amount by the rotating amount. ..

That is, the pointing device body 8
When the operator 6 moves the foot 6a to rotate the ball 8d, the operator 6 detects the movement (movement direction, movement amount) of the foot 6a and outputs a signal corresponding to the movement to the cursor position control unit. To the computer main body 1 via.

The switch section 9 is a section that functions as a switch equipped in a conventional mouse, and gives a command to a cursor that moves on the display screen when the operator 6 pushes it down. In this case, the given instruction is, for example, confirmation of the cursor display position on the display screen (that is, selection of an icon or execution of a command at the cursor display position).

The process for confirming the cursor display position by the switch unit 9 is according to one embodiment or another embodiment of the cursor position confirming method in the pointing device described later.

[Second Embodiment of Pointing Device]
FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the pointing device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 is a computer body, 2 is a display which is a standard output of the computer body 1, 3 is a keyboard which is a standard input means of the computer body 1, 4 is a desk, 5 is a chair, and 6 is An operator is a pointing device 14 according to the second embodiment.

The pointing device 14 is common to the above-described first embodiment in that the pointing device 14 detects the movement of the foot 6a of the operator 6 and moves the cursor on the display screen according to the movement of the foot 6a. There is. However, the pointing device body 15 that detects the movement of the foot 6a is not a mouse mechanism, but includes a base 15a installed on the floor and an operation piece 15b that slides on the smooth upper surface of the base 15a. When the operation piece 15b is moved with the foot 6a,
The detection device incorporated in the base 15a is the operation piece 1
The movement of the foot 6a is read through the movement of 5b. The movement of the foot 6a read by the pointing device body 15 is converted into a signal for moving the cursor by a cursor position control unit (not shown), and is notified to the computer body 1.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 16 is a signal cable connecting the pointing device body 15 and the computer body 1.

Further, in this example, the switch unit for determining the cursor display position is assigned to the keyboard 3, but the process for determining the cursor display position by the switch unit is the same as that in the first embodiment. Similarly, according to one or other embodiments of a method for determining a cursor position in a pointing device, which will be described later.

[Third Embodiment of Pointing Device]
FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the pointing device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 is a computer body, 2 is a display which is a standard output of the computer body 1, 3 is a keyboard which is a standard input means of the computer body 1, 4 is a desk, 5 is a chair, and 6 is An operator is a pointing device 18 of the third embodiment.

The pointing device 18 includes a viewpoint position detecting device 19 for detecting the orientation of the operator's 6 face with respect to the display screen and detecting the viewpoint position of the operator on the display screen from the orientation of the face. The viewpoint position detecting device 1 is controlled by a cursor position controller (not shown).
The viewpoint position detection device 19 for setting the cursor position on the display screen based on the detection result of the detection device 9 is installed in the detection device body 2 mounted on the head of the operator 6 as shown in FIG.
0 and position detection signal output means 21 mounted on the display 2. Here, the position detection signal output means 21 includes light beams 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d installed at four locations around the display screen of the display 2 and light rays 22a, 22 for viewpoint position detection in front of the display screen.
b, 22c and 22d are output. These rays 22a,
As 22b, 22c and 22d, any light that is harmless to humans and can be distinguished from natural light rays, for example, visible light rays having a specific wavelength or infrared rays can be used.

The detection device main body 20 is used by being worn on the head of the operator 6 like glasses, and each of the light emitters 21a, 21b, 21 of the position detection signal output means 21 is used.
Each of the light rays 22a, 22b, 22 output from c, 21d
The viewpoint position 24 on the display screen of the operator 6 is obtained by detecting the incident angles of c and 22d and comparing the detected incident angles with the reference value. Then, the result detected by the detection device main body 20 is transmitted to the reception unit 19a (equipped on the interface board for the pointing device) included in the computer main body 1 by a wireless signal.

That is, in the pointing device 18 in the third embodiment, when the operator 6 moves his / her face and the viewpoint position of the operator 6 on the display screen changes,
This is detected by the viewpoint position detecting device 19 and the cursor display position is changed to the moved viewpoint position.

When the cursor display position is moved to the desired position by the viewpoint position detecting device 19, the switch display unit determines the cursor display position. In the case of the third embodiment as well, the switch unit for determining the cursor display position is Similar to the case of the first embodiment, the cursor display position is assigned to the keyboard 3 and the cursor display position is determined by one of the embodiments or another embodiment of the cursor position determination method in the pointing device described later. Follow the example.

In the embodiments of the pointing device described above, as the switch unit, the one operated by the hand or the one assigned to the keyboard is shown.
It suffices to be able to perform switch operation (cursor confirmation operation, etc.) without releasing the hand from the keyboard, and it is conceivable that the switch operation is performed with the foot not used for moving the cursor.

Next, a cursor position fixing method for fixing the cursor display position in each of the pointing devices 7, 14 and 18 will be described.

[One Embodiment of Cursor Position Confirmation Method in Pointing Device] FIG. 6 shows a processing procedure in one embodiment of the cursor position confirmation method executed in the pointing devices 7, 14, and 18.

In a general pointing device, the cursor display position is fixed by pressing the button of the switch section once after moving the cursor. In this embodiment, the cursor display position is changed by two-step fixing operation. determine.

That is, first, the cursor is moved to a desired position (step L01), and then the first confirmation process is executed by once pressing the confirmation button of the switch section (step L02). In the first confirmation process, the cursor display position on the display screen is temporarily confirmed. In this temporarily confirmed state, the cursor on the display screen does not move even if the pointing device body is operated. Then, after the temporary confirmation by the first confirmation process, the operator determines whether or not the cursor display position on the display screen is at the target position (step L03). By pressing again, the second confirmation process is executed (step L1
1) and the confirmation process is ended.

In the second confirming process, the temporarily confirmed cursor display position is finally determined, and the instruction designated by the cursor is executed by the second confirming process.

If the cursor is not located at the target position in the judgment at the step L03, the cancel button of the switch section is once pushed to execute the definite cancellation process for canceling the temporary definite by the first definite process (step L13). In this finalization cancellation process, the temporary finalization in the first finalization process is canceled, and the cursor movement operation can be executed again. With the finalization cancellation process, the state of the finalization process returns to step L01. Further, this confirmation cancellation processing has meaning only in the state where the temporary confirmation is made.

As described above, by making the confirmation process in two stages, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of accidentally confirming the cursor display position. In addition, when the confirmation process is performed in two stages in this manner, the cursor display position is brought close to the target position by a rough movement operation in advance, and then the temporary confirmation is once performed, and then the temporary confirmation is canceled and the screen is carefully displayed. It is possible to perform the fine adjustment of the cursor display position while confirming that the cursor is moved to the target position accurately, and the operability is also improved.

The confirmation buttons provided in the switch section may be provided separately for the first confirmation processing and the second confirmation processing, or one confirmation button may be used in combination. You may do so.

[Other Embodiments of Cursor Position Confirmation Method in Pointing Device] FIG. 7 shows a processing procedure in another embodiment of the cursor position confirmation method executed in the pointing devices 7, 14, and 18. ..

This cursor position confirming method also has a provisional confirming process as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, but it is possible to move the cursor in the provisional confirming state. 6 is different from that shown in FIG. 6 in that a cursor position fine adjustment process is performed for finely adjusting the finalized position in the range enlarged and displayed with the cursor display position at the time of temporary confirmation as the center. In addition, in the case of the other embodiments, it is assumed that the switch portion of the pointing device is individually equipped with a temporary confirmation button, a confirmation button, and a cancel button.

The processing procedure in the case of another embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

First, the cursor is moved to a desired position and the temporary confirmation button is pressed to execute the first confirmation processing. The provisional confirmation in this first confirmation processing is
In that the cursor can be moved even after the temporary confirmation,
This is different from the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. When the initial confirmation is made, as shown in FIG. 8, a “x” mark is displayed as a temporary confirmation position mark (note that in FIG. 8, reference numeral 30 is a chair figure displayed on the display screen, 31 is a cursor to be operated).

Next, the operator confirms on the display screen whether or not the temporarily fixed cursor display position is accurately located at the target position (step K02). And
If the cursor display position is at the target position, the confirmation button is pressed to make the provisionally confirmed position final confirmation (step K11), and the confirmation process ends (if provisional confirmation is final confirmation, temporary confirmation is performed). The mark "x" disappears and the predetermined process associated with the confirmation is performed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step K02 that the target position is not reached, the cancel button can be pressed to return to the state before the temporary confirmation, and the cursor movement operation can be redone (the cancel button is pressed). Even when it is pressed, the "x" shown in FIG. 8 disappears). In the case of this embodiment, the cursor position fine adjustment process is started by moving the cursor by an appropriate distance and pressing the temporary confirmation button again while the temporary confirmation state of step K01 is maintained (step K03). , K04).

This cursor position fine adjustment processing is performed with the cursor position at the time of temporary confirmation at step K01 as the center.
A range having a radius from the center to the cursor position at the time of temporary confirmation in step K03 is enlarged and displayed, and step K0
The procedure returns to 1 and allows the temporarily fixed position to be changed again within the enlarged display range.

9 and 10 show the display on the display screen during the cursor position fine adjustment processing. In FIG. 9, the “x” indicated by reference numeral 33 is the temporary fixed position initially set in step K01 (hereinafter, “A”).
"), The" x "indicated by the reference numeral 34 is the temporary fixed position (hereinafter referred to as the point B) set in step K03, and the reference numeral 30 indicates the chair figure displayed on the display screen. Reference numeral 31 is a cursor to be operated.

By temporarily determining the point B, the range within the circle 35 having the radius from the point A to the point B with the point A as the center is enlarged and displayed as shown in FIG. The enlarged display may be displayed on the display screen in a multi-window format, or only the enlarged display range may be temporarily displayed on the screen.

When the cursor position fine adjustment processing is started, the cursor is moved within the enlarged display range, and step K is executed.
The temporary confirmation at 01 can be executed. In this enlarged display range, the movement of the cursor can be adjusted more finely, which is suitable for fine adjustment of the cursor display position to be determined. Then, after the cursor position fine adjustment processing is entered and the temporary confirmation is performed, the cursor position fine adjustment processing can be similarly repeated by executing the temporary confirmation in step K03, and the final determination in step K11 can be executed. The process can also be terminated by.

Incidentally, step K01 or step K
When the temporary confirmation is made in 03, if the cancel button is pressed immediately after that, the state immediately before that can be returned to the state before the temporary confirmation.

In the cursor position determination method shown in FIG.
Even a person who is unfamiliar with the operation of the pointing device can accurately adjust the cursor position on the screen. In addition, even in a small area that is almost a dot on a normal screen display, it is possible to accurately specify an instruction by repeating enlargement.

With the pointing devices 7, 14, and 18 shown above, the operator can move the cursor without releasing the keyboard 3 to further determine the cursor display position. It is possible to prevent deterioration of the operability of the keyboard due to the use of.

Further, in the cursor position fixing method shown above, when the position of the cursor displayed on the display screen is fixed, the cursor display position can be adjusted stepwise, so that the cursor display is carelessly displayed. It is possible to avoid fixing the position, and at the same time, it is possible to finely adjust the cursor display position, which improves operability when adjusting the display position.

[0059]

As is clear from the above description, in the pointing device according to the present invention, the operator can move the cursor without releasing the keyboard to further determine the cursor display position. It is possible to prevent the operability of the keyboard from being deteriorated due to the use of the pointing device.

Further, in the cursor position fixing method according to the present invention, when the position of the cursor displayed on the display screen is fixed, the cursor display position can be adjusted stepwise, so that the cursor display is carelessly displayed. It is possible to avoid fixing the position, and at the same time, it is possible to finely adjust the cursor display position, which improves operability when adjusting the display position.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a first embodiment of a pointing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of a first embodiment of a pointing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment of the pointing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a third embodiment of the pointing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of a third embodiment of a pointing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a processing procedure of an embodiment of a cursor position determination method in the pointing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a processing procedure of another embodiment of the cursor position determination method in the pointing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view in another embodiment of the cursor position determination method according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation in another embodiment of the cursor position determination method according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory view in another embodiment of the cursor position determination method according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 computer main body 2 display 3 keyboard 4 desk 5 chair 6 operator (operator) 7,14,18 pointing device 8,15,19 pointing device main body 9 switch section 10,11,16 signal cable

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A pointing device comprising: a pointing device body for detecting a movement of a foot; and a cursor position control unit for setting a cursor position on a display screen based on a detection result of the pointing device body. .. 2. A viewpoint position detection device that detects the orientation of the operator's face with respect to the display screen and detects the viewpoint position on the display screen of the operator based on the face orientation, and based on the detection result of the viewpoint position detection device. And a cursor position control unit for setting a cursor position on the display screen. 3. The viewpoint position detection device includes a detection device body mounted on the operator's head and position detection signal output means mounted on a display, and the position detection signal output means. Outputs a light beam for viewpoint position detection from a plurality of locations around the display screen of the display to the front of the display screen, and the detection device body detects the incident angle of each light beam output from the position detection signal output means. The pointing device according to claim 2, wherein the viewpoint position on the display screen of the operator is obtained by comparing the detected incident angle with a reference value. 4. A first confirming process for temporarily confirming a cursor display position on a display screen, a confirming canceling process for canceling the temporary confirming by the first confirming process, and a temporary confirming by the first confirming process for main confirming. A cursor position confirming method for a pointing device, comprising: a second confirming process for determining. 5. A first confirming process for temporarily confirming the cursor display position on the display screen, and an operation of moving the cursor and temporarily confirming the cursor position again after the temporary confirming by the first confirming process is performed. The cursor position that allows the change of the temporary fixed position within the enlarged display range is displayed by enlarging the range with the cursor position at the time of the temporary confirmation as the center and the radius from the center to the cursor position after the temporary confirmation. A method for determining a cursor position in a pointing device, which is provided with a fine adjustment process.