JPH08221201A - Touch panel coordinate operating method and information processor using the method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the operability of the mouse emulation operation by a touch panel operation. CONSTITUTION: This processor is the information processor where the coordinate information on a display screen is inputted by pressing the surface of a touch panel, and is provided with a moving amount calculation part 5 detecting the moving amount 500 of the pressing location on the surface of the touch panel, a comparison part 7 comparing the moving amount of the detected pressed location and a preliminarily set idle error ▵d, a touch time detection part 1 detecting the pressing continued time for the surface of the touch panel, a comparison part 3 comparing the detected pressing continued time 300 and preliminarily set positioning time ▵t and a processing decision part 8 deciding the mouse emulation operation corresponding to a touch panel operation based on the comparison results in the comparison parts 3 and 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a touch panel coordinate operating method for pointing arbitrary coordinates using a touch panel and an information processing apparatus using the method, and more particularly, mouse emulation for processing information input from the touch panel. The present invention relates to a touch panel coordinate operation method and an information processing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a pointing device such as a touch panel, a mouse and a trackball has been used as an input device used in an information processing device. These indicate arbitrary coordinates on the screen of the display device connected to the information processing device, and are very effective means for executing various application software.

FIG. 8 shows a general structure of an information processing system to which a plurality of input devices are connected, and a computer main body 17 is connected with a keyboard 18 and a mouse 19 as input devices. Further, a touch panel 21 is arranged on the front surface of the screen of the display device 20.

The touch panel 21 has a one-to-one correspondence with the coordinates on the screen of the display device 20. When one point on the touch panel is pressed, one point on the display screen corresponding to the pressed point is displayed. The coordinate value of a point can be obtained. Here, since using a plurality of pointing devices as input devices of the information processing device reduces operability, the touch panel is used to perform an operation similar to that of a mouse.

For example, the operation of moving the cursor to the target coordinate position by the mouse and clicking the button of the mouse corresponds to the operation of pressing and releasing the target coordinate position on the touch panel. In addition, the operation of moving the cursor to the target coordinate position with the mouse and double-clicking the button with the cursor fixed at the target coordinate position is the touch operation for that target coordinate position on the touch panel. This corresponds to the operation of repeating twice without shifting the coordinate position.

[0006]

Generally, a touch panel and a mouse have completely different sensations to human beings due to their operating methods. Due to such a difference in operation feeling, various problems have occurred when emulating a mouse operation with a touch panel.

[0007] For example, when operating the touch panel, a slight touch on the touch panel may result in a determination that the mouse operation is a click.
Since the target position on the touch panel could not be accurately touch-operated, there was a problem that the target coordinate position could not be mouse-clicked. Furthermore, if you try to double-click the target coordinate position with the mouse,
The target position on the touch panel cannot be accurately touched twice, and the touched positions are deviated between the first and second times, resulting in a problem that an erroneous operation such as double-click is not recognized. It was

A method for preventing erroneous recognition and erroneous operation of the touch panel is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-108230. As shown in FIG. 9, this is similarly provided on the keyboard 18 after finely adjusting the position of the cursor roughly specified by the touch operation on the touch panel 21 using the dedicated key 22 provided on the keyboard 18. The selection response processing is executed by the selected selection key 23. In addition, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-298025, there is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a fine adjustment area 24 for finely adjusting the cursor position is provided on the touch panel 21, and the cursor position roughly specified by the touch operation on the touch panel 21 is touched on the fine adjustment area 24. Techniques for adjusting are disclosed.

However, in any of the touch panel operating methods disclosed in any of the documents, it is necessary to finely adjust the cursor position by using other operating means in addition to performing the touch operation on the target position on the touch panel. However, it cannot be said that the operability of the touch panel has been sufficiently improved.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides information in which coordinate information on a screen is input by pressing the surface of a touch panel disposed on the front surface of the display device. In the processing device, a first detection unit that detects a movement amount of a pressing position on the touch panel surface, a second detection unit that detects a pressing duration time on the touch panel surface, a movement amount and a pressing amount of the detected pressing position. Means for determining a mouse emulation operation corresponding to the touch panel operation based on the duration.

In the present invention having such a structure, when the detected movement amount of the pressed position becomes equal to or more than the preset play error, it is determined that the movement of the mouse cursor should start. When the detected pressing duration time becomes equal to or longer than the preset positioning time, it is determined that the mouse click emulation operation is started. Here, the preset play error and the positioning time may be changed to desired values.

Further, after the mouse click emulation operation is started, if the movement amount of the pressed position is equal to or more than the play error, it is determined that the mouse drag emulation operation is started.

Further, the present invention switches the criterion of the cursor movement operation before and after the mouse drag emulation operation is started. That is, based on the criterion that the amount of movement of the pressed position exceeds the play error and the cursor movement is started, the amount of movement of the pressed position is, for example, 1
If the number of dots is greater than or equal to the dot, the cursor is switched to the determination criterion that the movement is performed.

Further, the present invention comprises means for displaying the detection state of the pressing duration time or the presence / absence of the start of the mouse click emulation operation on the screen of the display device.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the coordinate movement amount (play error parameter) and the touch duration (positioning parameter) of the touch (press) position obtained by operating the touch panel, that is, the touch panel is pressed. The mouse emulation operation corresponding to the touch panel operation is determined and processed based on the continued time.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a process based on a positioning time parameter among characteristic parameters in the touch panel coordinate operating method of the present embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining. Further, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a play error among characteristic parameters in the touch panel coordinate operation method of the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a process based on the play error parameter.

When an arbitrary coordinate position on the touch panel is touched, the coordinate value 100 of the touched position is sent from the touch panel at every predetermined cycle, and is kept constant while the touch panel is continuously touched. The pulse signal 200 is sent every cycle.

First, a method of determining the mouse emulation operation based on the positioning time parameter will be described.

The touch time detecting section 1 detects the time during which the touch panel is continuously touched by counting the pulse signals 200 sent from the touch panel. However, when the pulse signal 200 is not input for a predetermined time and when the control signal 600 from the comparison unit 7 is input, counting of the pulse signal 200 is stopped and reset. The comparison unit 3 compares the time 300 detected by the touch time detection unit 1 with the positioning time Δt set in advance by the positioning time setting unit 2. Then, as a result of the comparison, when the touch time 300 is equal to or longer than the positioning time Δt, the comparison unit 3 sends the control signal 40 to the determination processing unit 8.
0 is output. The determination processing unit 8 determines the mouse emulation operation corresponding to the touch panel operation based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 3. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, when any one point on the touch panel is touched (S101), it is detected whether the touch operation is continued for the positioning time Δt or longer (S102), and the touch time is determined. When the positioning time Δt is continued for a time or longer, the mouse click emulation operation is started at that time (S103). In addition, touch time is positioning time Δt
If it is less than the above, the mouse click emulation operation is not started, and it is determined that the mouse cursor is moving (including the case where the cursor does not move on the same coordinate) (S104).

As described above, according to the present invention, the touch time on the touch panel is set to the preset positioning time Δt.
Since the mouse click operation is first determined as described above, even if the user touches the touch panel by mistake, the mouse click operation is not executed and the malfunction can be prevented. Furthermore, the number of touch panel operations performed per unit time (for example, the number of touches)
By changing the positioning time Δt to a desired time in consideration of the user's proficiency, erroneous operation can be further prevented and operability can be improved.

Next, returning to FIG. 1, a method of determining the mouse emulation operation based on the play error parameter will be described.

The storage unit 4 stores the coordinate value of the position touched first on the touch panel. Then, the movement amount calculation unit 5 calculates the difference between the input coordinate value 100 sent from the touch panel at every predetermined cycle by the touch operation and the coordinate value stored in the storage unit 4 to calculate the movement amount of the touch position. To calculate. Touch position movement 50
0 is compared by the comparison unit 7 with the play error Δd set in advance by the play error setting unit 6. Here, the play error Δd indicates a distance from the coordinate position 9 that is touched first as shown in FIG. 3, and hereinafter, the play error Δd is formed around the coordinate position 9 by the play error Δd. The range to be set is the neighborhood 10. Then, as a result of this comparison, when the movement amount 500 of the touch position is equal to or more than the play error Δd, the comparison unit 7 outputs the control signal 600 to the determination processing unit 8. The determination processing unit 8 determines the mouse emulation operation corresponding to the touch panel operation based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 7. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, any one point on the touch panel is touched (S
After 201), the touch position is moved. And
The movement amount of the touch position is compared with the play error Δd (S
202) If the movement amount of the touch position is equal to or more than the play error Δd, it is determined that the operation is the movement of the cursor position (including the mouse drag emulation operation) (S203). If the movement amount of the touch position is smaller than the play error Δd, it is determined that the cursor position after the touch remains at the same coordinates (S204).

As described above, according to the present invention, it is determined that the movement of the mouse cursor is the first time there is a change in the coordinates of the play error Δd or more, and the same coordinates are determined when the area within the play error Δd is touched. In order to determine that a touch has been made, for example, when an operation is performed while the touch panel is squinting, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation caused by touching a target area on the touch panel and touching the neighboring area. Furthermore, even in the double-click operation that is performed by touching the same coordinate on the touch panel twice in succession depending on the user's intuition, the coordinate positions of the first touch operation and the second touch operation are different. If it is within the play error Δd, it may be slightly deviated. Therefore, the operability in the double-click operation can be greatly improved. Further, the operability is further improved by changing the play error Δd according to the proficiency level of the user.

Further, the mouse emulation operation by the touch panel operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a mouse emulation operation corresponding to the output timing of the control signals 400 and 600 output from the comparison unit 3 and the comparison unit 7, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the determination processing unit 8
When the control signal 400 from the comparison unit 3 is input before the control signal 600 from the comparison unit 7 is input, the mouse click emulation operation starts at the coordinate position touched first at that time. Also, FIG.
As shown in (b), the determination processing unit 8 receives the control signal 600 from the comparison unit 7 when the movement amount 500 of the touch position becomes equal to or more than the play error Δd after starting the mouse click emulation operation. From that point, the mouse drag emulation operation is started. After the mouse drag is started, if the amount of movement of the touch position is 1 dot or more, the mouse drag emulation operation is continuously executed. Then, when the touch operation on the touch panel ends, the pulse signal 200 is no longer output from the touch panel, and the control signal 400 is not output from the comparison unit 3, the mouse drag emulation operation ends. Here, the criterion of the movement operation before and after the start of the mouse drag emulation operation is determined based on whether the movement amount 500 of the touch position is a play error Δd or more.
By switching whether it has moved by 1 dot or more,
A smooth cursor movement can be executed while the mouse drag operation continues. Therefore, when operating drawing application software on the touch panel, it is possible to improve the drawing performance by the drag operation on the touch panel while maintaining the operability of the click operation and the double-click operation.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, if the movement amount 500 of the touch position becomes equal to or more than the play error Δd before the touch time 300 reaches the positioning time Δt, the control signal 600 from the comparison unit 7 is outputted. Is output to the determination processing unit 8, and the mouse cursor moving operation is started from that point. Then, the control signal 600 from the comparison unit 7 is also output to the touch time detection unit 1. In the touch time detection unit 1, when the control signal 600 from the comparison unit 7 is input, the counting process of the pulse signal 200 transmitted from the touch panel is stopped and the detection of the touch time 300 is stopped. Therefore, even if the touch time 300 exceeds the positioning time Δt during this mouse cursor movement operation, the comparison unit 3
The control signal 400 is not output from the device, and the mouse click operation is not suddenly started.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
And it demonstrates with reference to FIG.

The configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention is basically the same as the configuration of the first embodiment described above, but in particular, the presence or absence of the control signal 400 output from the comparison unit 3 or the touch operation. A unit for converting a change in the touch time 300 output from the time detection unit 1 into display data and displaying the display data on a screen of a display device equipped with a touch panel is provided. The operability of the touch panel operation is improved by displaying on the display device whether or not the mouse click emulation operation is started by the touch panel operation. It has already been done to display on the display that the click operation has been executed by mouse operation, but when the mouse is used, the operation of pressing the button provided on the mouse by the user is an immediate click operation. Therefore, the user can easily confirm the start time of the click operation. On the other hand, as in the present invention, when the mouse emulation operation is performed by the touch panel operation, pressing the touch panel is not regarded as the click operation, and the start state of the mouse click operation is displayed on the screen of the display device. Displaying above is a very important technique for surely performing a drag operation or the like.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a configuration for displaying only the presence or absence of the mouse click operation start on the display device, and (b).
Is a configuration for displaying an increasing state of the touch time on the touch panel. Further, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of a display screen of the display device in the present embodiment, and (a) is
This is an example of displaying only the presence or absence of the mouse click operation start, and (b) is an example of displaying the increase state of the touch time on the touch panel.

In the structure shown in FIG. 6 (a), the control signal 40 from the comparison section 3 is generated when the touch time 300 on the touch panel becomes equal to or longer than the preset positioning time Δt.
When 0 is output, the control signal 400 is converted by the display data converter 11 into data that can be displayed on the display device. Then, when the control signal 400 is output from the comparison unit 3, the determination processing unit 8 starts the mouse click emulation operation. At the same time, the data converted by the display data conversion unit 11, that is, The start of the mouse click operation is displayed on the display device.
For example, when the user wants to execute a mouse drag emulation operation, he / she confirms that the mouse click operation is started on the start display of the mouse click operation and then moves the touch position by a play error Δd or more. Become.

As a display format on the display screen in this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the cursor position instruction mark 14 on the display screen 13 is displayed before and after the mouse click operation is started. Different marks are possible. Further, a mark indicating that the mouse click operation has started may be displayed in the peripheral portion of the display screen.

Further, in the configuration shown in FIG. 6B, the increase state of the touch time 300 on the touch panel detected by the touch time detection unit 1 is converted into data that can be displayed on the display device by the display data conversion unit 12. Convert and touch time 30
The change of 0 is displayed on the display device. This makes it easy for the user to know how long the touch panel should be pressed before the mouse click emulation operation is started.If the user wants to perform the cursor movement operation, the mouse drag operation is mistakenly started. Or
Further, when the mouse drag operation is to be executed, the mouse drag operation is not started and only the cursor movement is executed.

As a display format on the display device in this case, as shown in FIG. 7B, a region 1 having an area corresponding to the positioning time Δt is provided in the peripheral portion of the display screen 13.
It is possible to provide 5 and fill the inside thereof only with the area 16 corresponding to the touch time up to the present detected by the touch time detection unit. By doing so, the user can easily know the touch time and the time until the mouse click operation is started.

[0035]

As described above, according to the touch panel operating method of the present invention, even if a position other than the target position on the touch panel is touched by mistake, the mouse click operation is immediately started. Since it does not occur, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation by the user, and it does not require fine adjustment of the mouse cursor position, and even if the area near the target position on the touch panel is touched, it is considered that the target position is touched. It is possible to greatly improve the operability of the mouse emulation operation on the touch panel.

Further, since the criterion for moving the cursor is different before and after the start of the drag operation, the movement of the mouse cursor after the start of the drag operation can be made very smooth. Therefore, when the drawing application software is operated on the touch panel, the drawing performance by the drag operation on the touch panel can be significantly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a play error in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart explaining the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display state of a screen in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a general information processing system.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a conventional touch panel operation device.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a conventional touch panel operation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Touch time detection unit 2 Positioning time setting unit 3 Comparison unit 4 Storage unit 5 Movement amount calculation unit 6 Play error setting unit 7 Comparison unit 8 Processing determination unit 11, 12 Display data conversion unit

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A touch panel coordinate operation method for inputting coordinate information on a screen by pressing the surface of a touch panel arranged on the front surface of the screen of a display device, the moving amount of a pressed position on the touch panel surface and the touch panel. A touch panel coordinate operation method, characterized in that a mouse emulation operation corresponding to a touch panel operation is determined according to the duration of pressing on the surface. 2. A touch panel coordinate operation method for inputting coordinate information on a screen by pressing a surface of a touch panel arranged on the front surface of a screen of a display device, wherein a movement amount of a pressing position on the touch panel surface is preset. When the play error exceeds the specified play error, the movement of the cursor position is started, and the mouse click emulation operation is started when the pressing duration time on the touch panel surface reaches the preset positioning time. , A touch panel coordinate operation method characterized by determining a mouse emulation operation corresponding to a touch panel operation. 3. After the mouse click emulation operation is started, the mouse drag emulation operation is started when the amount of movement of the pressed position on the touch panel surface becomes equal to or more than the play error.
The touch panel coordinate operating method according to claim 2, wherein a mouse emulation operation corresponding to a touch panel operation is determined. 4. The determination criterion of the movement operation of the cursor position is switched before and after the start of the mouse drag emulation operation.
Touch panel coordinate operation method described in. 5. The touch panel coordinate operation method according to claim 2, wherein the fact that the mouse emulation operation has been executed is displayed on the screen of the display device. 6. An information processing apparatus in which coordinate information on a screen is input by pressing the surface of a touch panel arranged on the front surface of the screen of a display device, the amount of movement of a pressed position on the surface of the touch panel is detected. First detection means, second detection means for detecting a pressing duration time on the touch panel surface, and based on the detected movement amount and pressing duration time,
An information processing apparatus comprising: means for determining a mouse emulation operation corresponding to a touch panel operation. 7. The device according to claim 6, further comprising means for converting a change in the pressing duration time or a start state of a mouse click emulation operation into display data and displaying the display data on a screen of the display device. Information processing equipment.