KR20120018397A - Zoom in/out method for device having touch screen and device performing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A zoom in/out method of a device having a touch screen and a device performing the same are provided to simplify the configuration of the screen and the algorithm used for touch input recognition. CONSTITUTION: A touch input detection unit(110) detects touch input which is inputted to a touch screen. An area operation unit(130) calculates the contact area of the touch input. A zooming signal generation unit(160) generates a zoom-in/out signal according to the contact area. If the touch input is detected, a touch control unit(140) receives the contact area location of the touch input. The touch control unit measures area variation rates. The touch control unit generates the zoom-in/out signal.

Description

ZOOM IN / OUT METHOD FOR DEVICE HAVING TOUCH SCREEN AND DEVICE PERFORMING THE SAME

The present invention relates to a device having a touch screen, and more particularly, to detect an area contacted by a finger or a touch of an operation means on a touch screen of the device, thereby zooming in the contents of the screen according to the extent that the contact area becomes larger and smaller. (Zoom) relates to a method for in / out (in / out) and a device for performing the same.

Recently, portable terminals have provided various functions and services (eg, online games, chatting, photographing, and multimedia data transmission) to meet user needs. However, it is difficult to support the functions of the portable terminal, which are diversified as described above, with a general user interface device based on a keypad. In other words, the keypad-based user interface device has a complicated user interface structure and thus does not provide convenience of operation, and it is difficult to overcome spatial limitations when applied to a portable terminal for miniaturization.

Meanwhile, in the case of a touch type user interface (eg, a touch screen or a touch pad) that generates an input signal by touching the screen, cost is reduced and space constraints of the portable terminal can be reduced. In addition, there is an advantage of improving the user interface by a simple input method by a touch.

Therefore, in recent years, a large number of portable terminals are applying a user interface using a touch screen and a touch panel.

As a method of zooming in / out the screen in a touch-based user interface, there is a pinch in / out method released by Apple. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when two fingers are opened or pinched, the position recognition unit 10 of the device with the touch screen recognizes the positions of the two fingers and enlarges the distance between the two points. When the distance between two points gets closer, the screen is zoomed out. However, Apple's approach is too inconvenient to use with one finger and has a disadvantage in practicality.

In order to compensate for this, a double-touch solution for zooming in and out has been added, but there is still a problem in that zooming in / out to a desired size is impossible.

In addition, as a zoom in / out method of a screen in a touch user interface, a method of enlarging / reducing a screen through a +/- icon displayed on a screen using an Android application is possible. have. However, this method does not satisfy the user's desire because it hides the screen when the +/- icon is displayed on the screen and it is impossible to continuously enlarge / reduce it.

In addition, there is a method of measuring the pressure, but there is a problem that it is difficult to implement and can give a burden to the device.

The present invention was devised to solve the above problems, and detects an area contacted by a finger or a touch of an operation means on the touch screen, and generates a zooming signal according to the extent that the contact area becomes larger and smaller, thereby enlarging the contents of the screen. Alternatively, the present invention provides a zoom in / out method and a device for performing the same, by which a user can operate using only one finger.

To this end, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a device having a touch screen according to the present invention, the touch input detection unit for detecting a touch input input on the touch screen at a predetermined time interval; An area calculator configured to calculate a contact area of the touch input detected by the touch input detector; A zooming signal generator configured to generate a zoom in signal and a zoom out signal related to screen zooming according to the contact area; When a touch input is detected through the touch input detector, the touch area of the touch input is received from the area calculator to measure an area change per hour for a preset time, and to change the mode of the touch input according to the measured area change per hour. And a touch controller configured to control the zooming signal generator to generate a zoom in / out signal according to a change rate of the contact area and the contact area for the touch input provided from the area calculator when entering the zoom mode. It is done.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method of zooming in / out a screen in a device having a touch screen according to the present invention includes, when the touch is input by a finger on the touch screen, the device inputs a touch input for a predetermined time. Calculating the contact area for each touch input by detecting at intervals; Determining a mode of the touch input according to the area change per hour by measuring an area change per hour in which the contact area of each touch input changes; After entering the zoom mode by the determination, generating a zoom in or zoom out signal according to a size of a contact area with respect to the touch input; And controlling the generated zoom in or zoom out signal according to a speed at which the contact area of the touch input changes to the touch screen.

According to the present invention, the user can zoom in or out according to a simple pressing operation in which a user touches one finger and releases the force, and the device does not need an operation for entering a zoom mode to enlarge or reduce the screen. Do. Therefore, there is no need to configure an operation screen for this, so that the algorithm for touch input recognition is simplified and the screen configuration can be simplified.

1 is a schematic diagram of a configuration for explaining a zoom in / out method according to the prior art;
2 is a block diagram of a device for implementing a zoom in / out method on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a zoom in / out method of a device having a touch screen according to an exemplary embodiment.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a zoom in / out method of a device having a touch screen according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a screen is enlarged / reduced according to a change in contact area by a finger on a touch screen.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configuration of the present invention and the operation and effect thereof will be clearly understood through the following detailed description. Prior to the detailed description of the present invention, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals even if they are displayed on different drawings, and the detailed description will be omitted when it is determined that the well-known configuration may obscure the gist of the present invention. do.

The zooming signal described below refers to a signal related to enlarging or reducing the screen. For example, a zoom in signal is a signal for enlarging a screen, and a zoom out signal is a signal for reducing a screen.

2 is a block diagram of a device for implementing a zoom in / out method on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a touch input detector 110, a timing controller 120, an area calculator 130, a touch controller 140, a zooming signal generator 160, and a touch screen 170. It may be implemented to include.

The touch input detector 110 detects a touch input input on the touch screen 170 from the outside. That is, two or more touch inputs that are generated at a predetermined time interval with respect to one touch input are detected. For example, the touch input at time t1 and the touch input at time t2 are detected for one touch input.

The timing controller 120 provides a timing signal to the touch input detector 110. Therefore, when the touch input detector 110 detects the touch input, the touch input is detected at a predetermined time interval based on the timing signal received from the timing controller 120.

When the touch input is detected through the touch input detector 110, the area calculator 130 calculates the area of the area where the touch input has occurred. The method for calculating the area of the touch input may use various methods. For example, by calculating the area where the touch input is generated by recognizing the outermost points among the points where the touch input is detected, or calculating the total number of cells in which the touch input is generated, or between the touch screen 170 and the finger. It can be calculated using the capacitance formed.

The zooming signal generator 160 generates a signal related to zooming, that is, a zoom in signal and a zoom out signal, under the control of the touch controller 140, to the touch screen 170. send.

When the touch input is detected through the touch input detector 110, the touch controller 140 receives the area of the touch input from the area calculator 130, measures an area change amount for a preset time, and touches according to the measured area change amount. It is determined whether the input is a touch input for a zoom operation, a long push input for selecting a menu or executing another operation, or whether to exit to a zoom mode. For example, the amount of change during the initial time for determining whether to enter the zoom mode is detected with respect to the area of the touch input detected through the touch input detection unit 110, and the area currently touched while the amount of change is present is greater than a predetermined value. If it is small, it can be determined that the user enters the zoom mode. On the contrary, when the amount of change during the end time for determining whether the zoom mode is terminated is detected by the touch input detector 110 and the amount of change is greater than a predetermined value (end constant value) or the touch is turned off. It can be determined by the end of the zoom mode.

In the present embodiment, the area change amount refers to the extent to which the area for the touch input at a predetermined time interval detected by the touch input detection unit 110 changes during a predetermined time, and is equal to the area change speed.

In addition, the touch controller 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention controls the zooming signal generator 160 to generate a zoom in / out signal according to the area when receiving the area of the touch input from the area calculator 130. . That is, the zoom-out signal is generated by the zooming signal generator 160 to gradually reduce the screen when the area is increased, and the zoom-in signal is generated by the zooming signal generator 160 to enlarge the screen when the area is reduced. do. Or vice versa.

In addition, the touch control unit 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention measures the amount of change in the area received from the area calculating unit 130 and detects the rate of change of the area to generate a zooming signal according to the change rate. Control 160. Therefore, the touch controller 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention can enlarge or reduce the screen according to the size of the contact area and control the enlargement or reduction rate according to the change rate (change amount) of the contact area.

According to this configuration, the device according to the embodiment of the present invention can easily enlarge or reduce the screen according to the contact area of the finger touching the touch screen 170 by one finger without using two fingers Easy zooming is possible, and the user does not need an input to enter a zoom mode separately for zooming, and its screen configuration is unnecessary.

Now, a zoom in / out method using a finger based on the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

For reference, a zoom in / out method using a finger may be classified according to a request for reducing or enlarging a screen when the user enters an initial zoom mode.

3 shows a process when the screen is to be reduced first.

The user pushes the device's touch screen slowly to the finger surface to reduce the contents of the screen.

When a touch is input on the touch screen 170 by the push, the touch input detection unit 110 of the device detects a touch input generated at a predetermined time interval during an initial Ti time for determining whether to enter the zoom mode, and area The area of the touch input detected by the calculator 130 is obtained. In operation S100, the touch controller 140 measures an amount of change in area per hour during the initial Ti time (dS / Ti).

The device determines whether the amount of change in area per hour during initial Ti time (dS / Ti) measured by the touch controller 140 is smaller than the average amount of change in contact area per hour during initial Ti time (dSt / Ti) on the touch screen 170. In operation S110, the touch input may be classified as a touch input for a zoom operation or a touch input for a long push.

That is, if the area change per hour (dS / Ti) is smaller than the average hourly contact area change (dSt / Ti) during the initial Ti time, the contact area gradually increases as the touch screen is gradually pushed. In operation S120, the controller 110 enters the zoom mode. On the contrary, if the hourly area change amount (dS / Ti) is greater than the average hourly contact area change amount (dSt / Ti) during the initial Ti time, a finger area wider than the average contact area is suddenly determined to be a long push. (S130).

Here, the average contact area St means a contact area that can be recognized as a normal long push. This contact area can be set to a universal value according to the results of several performances in advance.

In the zoom mode, the touch controller 140 checks the size of the contact area (S140).

As a result of the check, when the contact area becomes large, the touch controller 140 generates a zoom out signal to the zooming signal generator 160 to reduce the screen (S150). This process is natural because the user initially pushed the initial contact area rather narrowly in order to zoom out, resulting in a zoom out signal as the contact area increases.

If the user thinks that it has shrunk too much and the user slowly pulls out of the finger this time, the contact area gradually decreases. As such, when the contact area decreases, the touch controller 140 may enlarge the screen by controlling the zooming signal generator 160 to generate a zoom-in signal (S160).

Referring to the example illustrated in FIG. 5, the user touches the touch screen 170 with a finger. When the contact area S1 in contact with the touch screen 170 with the finger becomes S2, the hatched area displayed on the screen is reduced to a small size. In this case, the speed at which the screen is reduced may be controlled according to the change speed at which the contact area increases.

Then, in order to maintain the reduced or enlarged state, when the user releases his finger at a high speed, the device may recognize the end of the zoom mode.

That is, the amount of change in the contact area per hour dS / Tf during the preset Tf time period for determining whether the zoom mode ends in the touch control unit 140 of the device is greater than the constant value Z for determining the end of the zoom mode, or It is determined whether the touch is in the off state (S170).

If the amount of change in the contact area per hour (dS / Tf) during the preset Tf time is larger than the zoom mode end constant value, the zoom mode is terminated by quickly changing the finger contact surface or moving the finger quickly to another position. (S180).

If the amount of change in the contact area per hour (dS / Tf) during the preset Tf time is smaller than the zoom mode end constant value or there is no touch off, the process returns to the process of checking the size of the contact area (S140) and the screen according to the contact area. Repeat the zoom operation.

According to this series of operations, when the user performs a zoom out operation in which the user pushes the touch screen of the device gradually with one finger surface, the device automatically enters the zoom mode by measuring a change in the contact area and the contact area of the finger and in the zoom mode. It automatically determines the zoom out operation in detail and executes the screen zoom out immediately. In other words, when the user pushes a finger to perform a zoom out operation, the zoom mode zoom out function is executed immediately.

4 is a process illustrating a case where a user wants to enlarge the screen first.

This time, in order to enlarge the screen, the user suddenly contacts the touch screen of the device with the maximum contact surface of the device at maximum speed, and gradually depresses the finger to gradually reduce the contact area.

Then, the device detects a touch input generated at a predetermined time interval during the initial Ti time for determining whether to enter the zoom mode, and changes the area-per-hour area (dS / Ti) during the initial Ti time with respect to the detected touch input, The area S at the initial Ti time point is measured (S200).

In addition, the device has an average contact area (S) at the current Ti time point while the measured hourly area change (dS / Ti) during the initial Ti time is greater than the average hourly contact area change (dSt / Ti) during the same Ti time. It is determined whether it is larger than the area St (S210). This is a process for determining whether a touch area of a finger suddenly larger than the average contact area is touched on the touch screen.

If the above condition is satisfied, it is determined as a zoom operation for enlarging the screen, and the camera enters the zoom mode. If the above condition is not satisfied, the normal long push is determined (S220 and S230).

If the contact area gradually decreases after entering the zoom mode, the screen is enlarged (S240, S250).

Subsequently, if it is determined that it is enlarged too much and the user pushes the screen to gradually widen the contact area, the device determines this to reduce the screen (S260). Use your finger slowly and let go and zoom out.

Then, if the user releases his finger at a high speed in order to maintain the reduced or enlarged state, the device changes the hourly contact area change (dS / Tf) for a predetermined Tf time to determine whether to exit the zoom mode. In operation S270, it is determined whether the constant value Z or more is determined or the touch is turned off.

If the amount of change in the contact area per hour dS / Tf for the predetermined Tf time is greater than or equal to the zoom mode end constant value Z, the device recognizes this as the end of the zoom mode and exits the zoom mode while maintaining the screen as it is (S280).

If you slowly release your finger and release it completely, the device can recognize the end of zoom mode. However, since the screen is enlarged while slowly releasing, it is necessary to separate the fingers at a high speed to maintain the screen state.

On the other hand, as a method of exiting the zoom mode, the position of the finger may be changed without removing the finger while the finger is pushed, and it may be performed through coordinate change recognition. That is, in the above description, the method of releasing a finger at a high speed in the zoom mode is described first of all, but the present invention is not limited thereto, but the current state is maintained by moving the finger to another position. At the same time, the zoom mode can be exited.

The above description is merely illustrative of the present invention, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the specification of the present invention are not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of the present invention should be construed by the claims below, and all techniques within the scope equivalent thereto will be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Conventionally, the zoom in / out method on a touch screen is typically implemented by an operation of spreading or pinching by using two fingers. However, the present invention enlarges the screen according to a simple push action of exerting and releasing one finger. Alternatively, the screen may be reduced, and since an operation for entering the zoom mode for zooming in or out of the device is unnecessary, an operation screen for the screen may not be configured, thereby simplifying screen configuration. As a result, when applied to a device supporting a touch screen, in particular, a small portable terminal, the user interface may be overcome and constraints may be maximized.

110: touch input detection unit 120: timing control unit
130: area calculator 140: touch controller
160: zooming signal generation unit 170: touch screen

Claims (16)

A device with a touch screen,
A touch input detector detecting a touch input input on the touch screen at predetermined time intervals;
An area calculator configured to calculate a contact area of the touch input detected by the touch input detector;
A zooming signal generator configured to generate a zoom in signal and a zoom out signal related to screen zooming according to the contact area;
When a touch input is detected through the touch input detector, the touch area of the touch input is received from the area calculator to measure an area change per hour for a preset time, and to change the mode of the touch input according to the measured area change per hour. The touch controller controls the zooming signal generator to generate a zoom in / out signal according to a change rate of the contact area and the contact area with respect to the touch input provided from the area calculator.
Device comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The touch control unit,
And classifying the mode of the touch input according to whether it is a touch input for a zoom operation, a long push input for menu selection or other operation execution, or an input for terminating from a zoom mode. The method of claim 1,
The touch controller
When the touch area of the touch input increases, the zoom-in signal generation unit is required to generate a zoom-out signal to gradually reduce (enlarge) the screen. When the touch area of the touch input decreases, the zoom-out signal is zoomed. Requesting the signal generator to generate a zoom in (out) signal. The method of claim 1,
The touch controller
If the hourly area variation (dS / Ti) during the initial Ti time to determine whether to enter the zoom mode is less than the average hourly contact area variation (dSt / Ti) during the same Ti time, the contact area gradually decreases as the touch screen is pushed. The device characterized in that it is determined to be a touch input for the zoom operation as it gradually increases. The method of claim 1,
The touch controller
If the hourly area change (dS / Ti) during the initial Ti time to determine whether to enter the zoom mode is greater than the average hourly contact area change (dSt / Ti) during the same Ti time, the finger area suddenly wider than the average contact area is displayed. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is determined to be a long push. The method of claim 1,
The touch controller
The area change per hour (dS / Ti) during the initial Ti time for determining whether to enter the zoom mode is larger than the average hourly contact area change (dSt / Ti) during the initial Ti time, and the area (S) at the current Ti time point is If the average contact area (St) is larger than the device characterized in that it is determined as a touch input for the zoom operation. The method of claim 1,
The touch controller
When the touch area change amount dS / Tf per hour during a predetermined Tf time for determining whether to exit the zoom mode is equal to or greater than a constant value Z for determining the end of the zoom mode or when the touch is turned off, the end of the zoom mode is determined. Device characterized in that. The method according to claim 1 or 7,
The touch controller
And changing the position of the finger to another position without removing the finger on the touch screen, and determining the end of the zoom mode by recognizing the position change through coordinate recognition. A method of zooming in and out of a screen on a device with a touch screen,
Calculating a contact area for each touch input by detecting a touch input at a predetermined time interval when a touch is input by a finger on the touch screen;
Determining a mode of the touch input according to the area change per hour by measuring an area change per hour in which the contact area of each touch input changes;
After entering the zoom mode by the determination, generating a zoom in or zoom out signal according to a size of a contact area with respect to the touch input;
Controlling the generated zoom in or zoom out signal according to a speed at which the touch area of the touch input is changed and transferring the generated zoom in or zoom out signal to the touch screen;
Zoom in / out method of a device comprising a. The method of claim 9,
The mode of the touch input is divided according to a touch input for a zoom operation, a long push input for menu selection or other operation execution, or a touch input for terminating from the zoom mode. In / out method. The method of claim 10,
The determining of the mode of the touch input according to the area change per hour,
If the hourly area variation (dS / Ti) during the initial Ti time for determining whether to enter the zoom mode is less than the average hourly contact area variation (dSt / Ti) during the same Ti time, the contact area gradually decreases as the touch screen is pushed. A method of zooming in and out of a device, which is determined as a touch input for a zoom mode as it gradually increases. The method of claim 10,
The determining of the mode of the touch input according to the area change per hour,
If the hourly area change (dS / Ti) during the initial Ti time to determine whether to enter the zoom mode is greater than the average hourly contact area change (dSt / Ti) during the same Ti time, the finger area suddenly wider than the average contact area is displayed. And a long push when the contact is made. The method of claim 10,
The determining of the mode of the touch input according to the area change per hour,
The area change per hour (dS / Ti) during the initial Ti time for determining whether to enter the zoom mode is greater than the average hourly contact area change (dSt / Ti) during the same Ti time, and the area (S) at the current Ti time point is If the average contact area (St) is greater than the zoom in / out method of the device characterized in that it is determined as a touch input for the zoom mode. 14. The method according to claim 11 or 13,
The zoom-in / out method of the device, wherein the screen is reduced when the contact area is increased in the zoom mode, and the screen is enlarged when the contact area is decreased. The method of claim 10,
The determining of the mode of the touch input according to the area change per hour,
When the touch area change amount dS / Tf per hour during a predetermined Tf time for determining whether to exit the zoom mode is equal to or greater than a constant value Z for determining the end of the zoom mode or when the touch is turned off, the end of the zoom mode is determined. Zoom in / out method of the device, characterized in that. The method according to claim 10 or 15,
The determining of the mode of the touch input according to the area change per hour,
When changing the position of the finger to another position without removing the finger on the touch screen, the zoom in / out method of the device characterized in that it is determined to end the zoom mode by recognizing the position change through coordinate recognition .

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