JPH11110132A - Touch input device for information processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch input device suitable for an information processing equipment provided with a display part for displaying the arithmetic processing result and a touch panel arranged on the front face of that display part, by dividing a cursor into plural manipulation parts. SOLUTION: The area of the cursor displayed on the display part arranged on the front face of the touch panel is divided into plural manipulation parts, and input functions are switched corresponding to the manipulated positions of these divided areas. For example, a cursor 8 displayed on the display part is divided into four area of 1st manipulation part 9 to 4th manipulation part 12 and an instruction part 13 is provided for instructing the position of a coordinate to be selectively instructed. Thus, by displaying the cursor 8 on the display part and pressing the respective manipulation parts 9-12 in that displayed cursor with the tip of a pen or the like, the input operation is enabled corresponding to the respective manipulation parts 9-12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display unit for displaying a result of an arithmetic processing and a touch input device of an information processing apparatus having a touch panel disposed on the front of the display unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Computer devices are widely used as information processing devices that perform various arithmetic processing operations and data processing operations based on instructions input from an input device. In such a computer device, the operation of moving the cursor displayed on the display unit, the operation of determining an input instruction, and the like are performed by an operation device called a mouse.

A device using a mouse can move the cursor or determine an input instruction promptly, but requires a place to operate and has a problem that the size of the device becomes large. Not suitable for computer equipment.

As a technique that improves on this point, a technique has been developed in which an input device called a touch panel is arranged in front of a display unit, and an input operation is performed by pressing the touch panel surface with a pen or the like.

[0005]

In the conventional touch panel input device, there is a problem that only two operations, ie, movement of a cursor and input operation corresponding to a left button of a mouse, can be performed.

[0006] The present invention seeks to provide a touch input device that solves such a problem.

[0007]

A touch input device according to the present invention divides a cursor area displayed on a display unit having a touch panel on the front into a plurality of operation units, and operates the divided area. The input function is switched according to the position.

[0008]

FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of a cursor according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a central processing unit (CPU) which is incorporated in a computer device and performs various arithmetic processing operations, 2 denotes a memory circuit as storage means, and 3 denotes a result of the arithmetic processing operation. A display unit 4 for displaying a display control circuit for controlling the display unit 3;
Reference numeral 5 denotes a touch panel disposed on the front of the display unit 3 and pressed by a pen tip or the like, and 6 denotes a touch panel control circuit for controlling the operation of the touch panel.
In such a circuit configuration, each circuit is connected to each other by a data bus 7.

In such a circuit configuration, the touch panel 5
Is pressed by a pen tip or the like, the touched position, that is, the coordinates, is detected by the touch panel control circuit 6, and the detection output is applied to the central processing unit 1. When a signal obtained from the touch panel 5 is input to the central processing unit 1,
The control operation by the central processing unit 1 is performed, and the result is displayed on the display unit 3 by the control operation of the display control circuit 4.

The operation of the circuit shown in FIG. 1 is performed as described above. Next, the gist of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 shows the display unit 3 in the touch input device of the present invention.
Is an example of the cursor 8 displayed on the first operation unit 9, the second operation unit 10, the third operation unit 11, and the fourth operation unit 1.
There is provided an instruction unit 13 which is divided into four areas and indicates the position of the coordinates to be selected. In such a configuration, the cursor 8 is displayed on the display unit 3, and an input operation corresponding to each operation unit can be performed by pressing each operation unit in the displayed cursor 8 with a pen tip or the like. I can do it. For example, when the user moves the touch panel 5 while pressing the first operation unit 9, an input operation for moving the cursor 8 in the moving direction is performed.
Operating the second operation unit 10 performs an input operation corresponding to the left button of the mouse, and operating the third operation unit 11 performs an input operation corresponding to the right button of the mouse.
Is operated, the same input operation as the operation when the left and right buttons of the mouse are simultaneously pressed is performed. When a portion on the touch panel 5 where the cursor 8 is not positioned is pressed by a pen tip or the like, it is determined that the pressed coordinates are outside the area of the cursor 8, and the instruction unit 13 forming the cursor 8 is moved to the coordinates. Is configured to perform an operation of moving the cursor 8 to the position of.

As described above, the touch input device according to the present invention is constituted.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the touch panel 5 is pressed with a pen point or the like, first, an operation of acquiring the pressed input coordinates is performed (step A). When the input coordinates are obtained, it is determined whether or not the input coordinates are within the area of the cursor 8 (step B). In step B, the input coordinates are
When it is determined that the cursor 8 is not within the area, the cursor 8 is moved so that the pointing unit 13 constituting the cursor 8 is positioned at the coordinates.
Is performed (step C).

When the operation in step C is performed, the pointing unit 13 constituting the cursor 8 moves to the position of the coordinates pressed by the pen tip or the like. In such a state, when the user touches the touch panel 5 at a position corresponding to the area of the cursor 8 displayed on the display unit 3 with the pen tip or the like, the processing operations of step A and step B are performed. In this case, in step B, since it is determined that the input coordinates are within the area of the cursor 8, a predetermined operation process corresponding to the pressed operation unit is performed (step D).
Thereafter, the above-described processing operations are performed, and an input operation similar to that of a mouse can be performed by the touch panel 5.

In this embodiment, the cursor 8 is divided into four parts, but the number is not limited. Also,
When the cursor 8 is moved to the position of the input coordinates, if the color of the area of the cursor 8 is changed or the color of the area which is the designated operation unit in the cursor 8 is changed, the designated location is changed. It can be easily confirmed.

[0015]

According to the touch input device of the present invention, the cursor is divided into a plurality of operation units.
An input operation similar to that of a mouse can be performed. Therefore,
The touch input device of the present invention is most suitable as an input device for a device that cannot be enlarged in size, such as a portable information processing device.

Further, according to the present invention, when the input coordinates of the touch panel are not within the area of the cursor, the position of the cursor is moved to the position of the input coordinates, so that the operability is excellent.

Since the present invention is configured to change the color of the designated area in the cursor, there is an advantage that the designated position can be easily confirmed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an embodiment of a cursor according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Central processing unit 3 Display part 4 Display control circuit 5 Touch panel 6 Touch panel control circuit 8 Cursor

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An information processing apparatus comprising a display unit for displaying a result of an arithmetic processing and a touch panel disposed on a front surface of the display unit, wherein an area of a cursor displayed on the display unit is divided into a plurality of operation units, A touch input device for an information processing device, wherein an input function is switched according to an operation position of the divided area. 2. The touch input device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the cursor is moved to the position of the input coordinates when the input coordinates of the touch panel are not within the area of the cursor. 3. The cursor according to claim 1, wherein an operation unit corresponding to a left button and a right button of a mouse is provided.
The touch input device according to claim 1. 4. The touch input device according to claim 1, wherein an operation unit corresponding to an operation of simultaneously pressing the left button and the right button of the mouse is provided on the cursor. 5. The touch input device according to claim 1, wherein a color of a designated area in the cursor is changed. 6. The touch input device according to claim 1, wherein an area for moving the cursor is provided in the cursor. 7. The touch input device according to claim 1, wherein an instruction portion for instructing coordinates on a cursor is formed.