CN102455874B - Messaging device, information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

An information processing device including: a display controller for controlling a display to display a keyboard; an interface for receiving position information corresponding to a user input detected at a user interface; and a processor for determining the received The position information corresponds to a first determined area of the first key of the displayed keyboard, and according to the determination, a second determined area of the second key is expanded in a first direction toward the first determined area while being opposite to the first direction. Decreases the size of the second determination area in the second direction so that the size of the second determination area increases without changing the display size of the first key and without increasing the size of the first determination area.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method

Cross references to related patent applications

This application claims priority under 35 USC Section 119 to Japanese Patent Application JP 2010-232170 filed in the Japan Patent Office on Oct. 15, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

technical field

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a computer program.

Background technique

In recent years, as devices having touch panels increase, devices capable of measuring pressure are being developed. In the state where the finger is pressed on the device, the operation performed by pressing is performed. Therefore, even if the same key is continuously input in the case of pressing the input operation, the touch coordinates do not greatly deviate. However, in a case where an operation in which the finger has to be moved is performed, such as when another key input is continuously performed in a state where pressing is being performed, a physical load is generated because of friction between the finger and the device. Because of the physical load, the user's finger or the like operating the key may feel tired, and operability may be reduced.

On the other hand, for key input for touch panel operation, in order to specify a key as an input target, a determination area for key input is set for each key. In order to improve the operability of key input, the determination area of key input is dynamically changed. For example, JP H10-49305A (hereafter referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses a touch panel input device that, in the case of inputting a plurality of keys on the touch panel by one key input, is displayed on the screen by enlarging to prevent incorrect input. In addition, JP 2003-296027A (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2) discloses a button recognition area optimization method for a touch panel for automatically optimizing recognition by area to improve the operability and recognition speed of the touch panel.

Contents of the invention

However, according to Patent Document 1 described above, it is necessary to perform two inputs before and after enlarging the key for one key input, and there is a problem that the operation load is large. Furthermore, according to Patent Document 2 described above, there is a problem that, since the optimal correction of the button recognition area is performed regardless of the state of user input, an input is detected in a state where the user does not intend to input a key. Furthermore, according to Patent Documents 1 and 2, the pressing operation is not performed by performing continuous key input to the device, so there is a problem that due to continuous key input to the device, the physical load on the finger is still large, and the reliability is reduced. operability.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is desirable to provide a novel and improved information processing device, information processing method and computer program capable of reducing the physical load caused by continuous key-pressed input operations.

According to a first exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus including: a display controller for controlling a display to display a keyboard; and an interface for receiving position information corresponding to a user input detected at a user interface and a processor for determining that the received position information corresponds to a first determined area of a first key of the displayed keyboard, and expanding the second key in a first direction toward the first determined area according to the determination The size of the second determination area is simultaneously reduced in a second direction opposite to the first direction so that the size of the second determination area is increased without changing the display size of the first key and without increasing the size of the second determination area. - Determine the size of the area.

According to another embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a method performed by an information processing device. The method includes: controlling the display by a display controller to display a keyboard; receiving, at an interface of an information processing device, position information corresponding to a user input detected at a user interface; determining, by a processor of the information processing device, the received The position information corresponds to the first determined area of the first key of the displayed keyboard; and according to the determination, the second determined area of the second key is expanded in the first direction toward the first determined area while in the same direction as the first determined area The size of the second determination area is decreased in the opposite second direction so that the size of the second determination area is increased without changing the display size of the first key and without increasing the size of the first determination area.

According to another embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer program instructions which, when executed by an information processing device, cause the information processing device to perform a method. The method includes: controlling a display to display a keyboard; receiving location information corresponding to a user input detected at a user interface; determining that the received location information corresponds to a first determined area of a first key of the displayed keyboard; and according to This determination extends the second determination area of the second key.

Description of drawings

1 is a block diagram showing an example hardware configuration of an information processing device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of enlarging processing for a determination area of a peripheral key of an input target key;

3 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of enlargement processing in the horizontal direction of a determination area of a key arranged away from an input target key;

4 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of enlarging processing in the vertical direction of a determination area of a key arranged apart from an input target key;

5 is an explanatory diagram showing the definition of a state relationship between a touch panel and a finger according to the type of proximity/pressure detection means;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an information processing device according to this embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an overall flowchart showing determination area change processing of the information processing device according to this embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing key input and state determination processing using a proximity sensor according to this embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing key input and state determination processing using a pressure sensor according to this embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing input direction detection processing according to this embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing input direction detection processing according to this embodiment;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the definition of a peripheral area in the case of designating the peripheral area with a rectangle;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing determination area selection processing according to this embodiment;

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing determination in determination area selection processing;

15 is an explanatory diagram showing definition of a state relationship between a touch panel and a finger according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing key input and state determination processing according to this embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing determination area selection processing according to this embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a processing list summarizing the determination area selection processing shown in FIG. 17; and

FIG. 19 is a graph showing an example in which the horizontal axis shows the total movement amount of the finger, and the vertical axis shows the determined area change of the magnitude of the measured pressure.

specific embodiment

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that, in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elements that have substantially the same function and configuration are denoted with the same reference numerals, and repeated description of these structural elements is omitted.

Also, explanations are made in the following order.

1. The first embodiment

Example hardware configuration of an information processing device

Outline of information processing device's magnification processing of a certain area for a key

Functional configuration of information processing equipment

Determination area change processing of information processing device

1-1-1. Key input and state determination processing: Proximity sensor

1-1-2. Key input and state determination processing: pressure sensor

1-2. Input direction detection processing

1-3. Determination of area change processing

2. The second embodiment

Determination area change processing of information processing device

2-1. Key input and state determination processing

2-2. Input direction detection processing

2-3. Determination of area change processing

Determining the area change example

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing device including: a display controller configured to control a display to display a keyboard; an interface configured to receive position information corresponding to a user input detected at a user interface; and A processor configured to determine that the received position information corresponds to a first determined area of a first key of the displayed keyboard, and expand a second determined area of a second key based on the determination.

<1. First embodiment>

[Example hardware configuration of information processing device]

First, an example hardware configuration of an information processing device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to FIG. 1 . Furthermore, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example hardware configuration of the information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment.

The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is a device including the proximity/pressure detection device 104 capable of detecting the proximity or contact of the device with the display device 105 and the pressure applied to the device by the display device 105 . For an input device such as an on-screen keyboard provided with a plurality of input keys, the information processing apparatus 100 changes a determination area used when detecting an input to an input key to reduce a physical load generated by continuous key input operations. According to the present embodiment, the movement amount of the finger is reduced by changing the determination area of other keys based on the input key input within a predetermined time period according to the movement distance of the finger.

As shown in FIG. 1 , this information processing apparatus 100 includes: a CPU 101 , a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102 , a nonvolatile memory 103 , proximity/pressure detection means 104 and a display means 105 .

As described above, the CPU 101 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control unit, and controls overall operations within the information processing device 100 according to various programs. Also, CPU 101 may be a microprocessor. The RAM 102 temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the CPU 101, parameters arbitrarily changed when the programs are executed, and the like. They are connected to each other through a host bus configured by a CPU bus or the like. The nonvolatile memory 103 stores programs to be used by the CPU 101, operating parameters, and the like. For example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, or the like can be used as the nonvolatile memory 103 .

The proximity/pressure detection device 104 is an example of an input device to which a user inputs information, and is composed of an input device for inputting information and an input control circuit for generating an input signal according to the user's input and outputting the input signal to the CPU 101. and other configurations. The proximity/pressure detection device 104 is located on an upper layer of the display surface of the display device 105 . The proximity/pressure detection means 104 according to the present embodiment may be configured by a proximity sensor capable of detecting proximity or contact to the display surface or a pressure sensor capable of detecting pressure on the display surface.

The display device 105 is an example of an output device for outputting information. As the display device 105, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) device, or the like can be employed.

[Outline of determination area enlargement processing for key by information processing device]

Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 , the determination area enlargement process for keys performed by the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is outlined. In addition, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of enlargement processing for a determination area of peripheral keys of an input target key. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of enlargement processing in the horizontal direction of a determination area of a key arranged away from an input target key. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of enlarging processing in the vertical direction of a determination area of a key arranged away from an input target key.

As described above, according to the information processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the determination area of the input key is changed, the physical load when the user operates the next input key after the input target key is input is reduced, and the operability is improved. The following two can be regarded as changes in the determination area. One is to enlarge the determined area of the peripheral keys located around the input target key. Assuming that a key in the periphery of the input target key is input next, enlargement of the determined area of the peripheral key is performed to reduce the amount of movement of the finger operating the key.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , it is assumed that a plurality of display keys 210 arranged in 3×3 are displayed on the display device 105 , for example. At this time, the display key 210 located at row B, column b is regarded as an input target key. When the finger approaches or touches the input target key, the information processing device 100 enlarges the determination area 220 of the peripheral keys around the input target key. As a method of enlarging the determination area 220 of the peripheral key, the determination areas 220Ab and 220Cb of the input key located above and below the input target key may be enlarged toward, for example, the input target key (vertical enlargement). Alternatively, the determination areas 220Ba and 220Bc of the input keys located on the left and right sides of the input target key may be enlarged (horizontally enlarged) toward, for example, the input target key. Alternatively, determination regions 220Ab, 220Cb, 220Ba, and 220Bc of input keys positioned above and below and left and right of the input target key may be enlarged toward the input target key (vertical enlargement and horizontal enlargement).

By enlarging the determination area of the peripheral keys of the input target key in this way, the amount of finger movement when selecting the peripheral keys can be reduced. Also, in the case where the input target key is pressed continuously, although the determination area of the key becomes smaller, it is considered that the deviation of the finger at the time of pressing is small. Therefore, it can be considered that no problem occurs even if the determination area is small. Furthermore, even if the determination area is changed, the size of the display key 210 is not changed. This keeps the layout of the display keys displayed on the display device 105 unchanged, so the user can perform key operations without discomfort.

Another change of the determination area is to enlarge the determination area of the input key arranged away from the input target key. Assuming that a key arranged away from the input target key is to be input next, enlargement of the determined area of the input key arranged away from the input target key is performed to reduce the amount of movement of the finger operating the key. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , it is assumed that a plurality of display keys 210 arranged, for example, in 3×11 are displayed on the display device 105 . At this time, the display key 210 located at row B, column f is regarded as an input target key. When the finger approaches or touches the input target key, the information processing device 100 enlarges the determination area 220 of the key arranged away from the input target key.

As a method of enlarging the determination area 220 of the key arranged away from the input target key, the determination area 220 of the input key located to the left and right of the input target key may be enlarged toward the input target key as shown in FIG. 3 (horizontal enlargement). In this example, determination regions 220 on columns a to c located on the left side of the input target key and columns i to k located on the right side of the input target key are enlarged. Also, for the determination area 220 of a key farther away from the input target key, the magnification ratio of the area is higher. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the determination areas 220 on the columns a and k farthest from the input target key are changed to be larger than the other determination areas 220 . This can further reduce the load of operating a key whose movement amount of the finger from the input target key is large.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4 , the determination area 220 of the input key located above and below the input target key may be enlarged (vertically enlarged) toward, for example, the input target key. In this example, a plurality of display keys 210 arranged in, for example, 7×3 are displayed on the display device 105, and a determination area 220 of rows A to C located above the input target keys and rows E to G located below the input target keys magnified. In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 4 , as in the example shown in FIG. 3 , the magnification of the region is larger for the determination region 220 of the key that is farther away from the input target key. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the determination areas 220 of the rows A and G farthest from the input target key are changed to be larger than the other determination areas 220 . This can further reduce the load on the finger to operate from a key whose movement amount is large for the input target key.

Furthermore, the change of the determination area 220 can be made by applying, for example, an overlap avoidance process disclosed in JP 2010-067135A for avoiding overlap of keys of an on-screen keyboard.

The information processing device 100 changes the determination area based on the above two concepts, and reduces the physical load caused by continuous key input operations that are pressed. The functional configuration of the information processing device 100 and the determination area changing process performed by the information processing device 100 will be described in detail below. In this embodiment, any one of the proximity detection means and the pressure detection means can be used as the proximity/pressure detection means 104 . The definition of the state relationship between the touch panel and the finger according to the type of proximity/pressure detection means is shown in FIG. 5 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , in the case of employing a proximity detection device such as a proximity sensor, an area up to a position at a predetermined distance from the touch panel surface is defined as a proximity detection area where the device can detect proximity. The state where the finger is outside the proximity detection area is defined as the non-contact state (state 0), the state where the finger is within the proximity detection area is defined as the contact state (state 1), and the finger is within the proximity detection area and is detected by the touch panel The state to contact is defined as the pressed state (state 2). On the other hand, in the case of using a pressure detection device (for example, a pressure sensor), the state in which the finger does not touch the touch panel is defined as the non-contact state (state 0), and the state in which the force of the finger pressing the touch panel does not exceed F _input is defined as the contact state (state 1). Also, a state in which a finger presses the touch panel with a force exceeding F _input is defined as a pressed state (state 2 ).

In the present embodiment, an information processing apparatus 100 that performs processing of changing a determination area of a key in accordance with a state relationship between a touch panel and a finger will be explained.

[Functional Configuration of Information Processing Device]

First, the functional configuration of the information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . Furthermore, FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6 , the information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment includes: an input display unit 110 , a state determination unit 120 , an input direction detection unit 130 , a determination area changing unit 140 , and a setting storage unit 150 .

The input display unit 110 includes: a detection unit 112 for detecting the position of an operating tool such as a user's finger or hand, and receiving an input operation from the user; and a display unit 114 for displaying information, and for example, a touch panel or the like can be used on the display unit. The detection unit 112 is a functional unit for detecting an operation input for an object displayed on the display unit 114 , and it corresponds to the proximity/pressure detection means 104 of FIG. 1 . In the present embodiment, a proximity sensor capable of detecting proximity or contact to the touch panel, a pressure sensor capable of detecting pressure on the touch panel, or the like may be used as the detection unit 112 . The detection result of the detection unit 112 is output to the state determination unit 120 .

On the other hand, the display unit 114 may employ a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, and is driven by a control unit (not shown) that performs a process of displaying information. It is also possible to change the display content of the display unit 114 according to the detection result of the detection unit 112 . Furthermore, in a determination area change process described later, the display of the display keys displayed on the display unit 114 is not changed, but the determination area for determining an operation input is changed. Therefore, no visual change is caused because the determination area changes processing. In the case where an object group including a plurality of objects is displayed on the display unit 114, the information processing apparatus 100 operates with an on-screen keyboard to reduce the operation load when input operations are continuously performed on the displayed objects.

Based on the detection result of the detection unit 112 , the state determination unit 120 determines a state relationship between the input display unit 110 as a touch panel and the finger. As described with reference to FIG. 5 , based on the definition set according to the type of the detection unit 112, the state determination unit 120 determines that the state of the finger relative to the touch panel corresponds to the non-contact state (state 0), the contact state (state 1) and the pressed state. which of the states (state 2). When the state of the finger relative to the touch panel is determined, the state determination unit 120 outputs the determination result to the input direction detection unit 130 .

Based on the detection result of the detection unit 112 , the input direction detection unit 130 detects the moving direction (input direction) of the finger with respect to the display unit 114 . The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment enlarges the determined area of the object in the moving direction of the finger (input direction), thereby facilitating operation of an object to be operated after an object as an input target (input target key). Therefore, the input direction detection unit 130 detects the moving direction (input direction) of the finger, and outputs the moving direction to the determination area changing unit 140 . In addition, the input direction detection processing of the input direction detection unit 130 will be described in detail below.

Based on the information input from the state determination unit 120 and the input direction detection unit 130 , the determination area changing unit 140 changes the determination area of each object in the object group displayed on the display unit 114 . Although the determination area changing process will be described in detail below, the determination area changing unit 140 changes the determination area of an object arranged around or away from an object as an input target according to an operation input state and an input direction of a finger. This helps to manipulate the object to be manipulated after the object targeted by the input. The determination area changing unit 140 changes the determination area information representing the determination area, and outputs the determination area information after the change to the detection unit 112 . The detection unit 112 will determine the presence/absence of the operation input on the object based on the determination area information after the change.

The setting storage unit 150 is a storage unit for storing setting information necessary in determination area change processing. The setting information may be, for example, definition information specifying the state relationship between the touch panel and the finger as shown in FIG. 5 , content determining the change of the area according to the input direction of the finger, and the like. The setting information stored in the setting storage unit 150 may be set in advance, or may be set by the user as appropriate. In addition, the information processing device 100 may further include a memory (not shown) for temporarily storing a history of operation input of a finger.

[Determined area change processing of information processing device]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method performed by an information processing device, the method comprising: controlling a display through a display controller to display a keyboard; receiving at an interface of the information processing device and detecting at a user interface The user inputs the corresponding position information; the processor of the information processing device determines that the received position information corresponds to the first determined area of the first key of the displayed keyboard; and according to the determination, expands the second area of the second key. Determine the area.

Next, the determination area change processing of the above-described information processing device 100 for an object will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 14 as an example of the above-described method performed by the information processing device according to another aspect of the present invention. In addition, FIG. 7 is an overall flowchart showing determination area change processing of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing key input and state determination processing according to the present embodiment by a proximity sensor. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing key input and state determination processing by the pressure sensor according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing input direction detection processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing input direction detection processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the definition of the peripheral area in the case of designating the peripheral area with a rectangle. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing determination area selection processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing determination in determination area selection processing.

As shown in FIG. 7 , for the determination area change process performed by the information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment, first, a key input performed by the user on the touch panel (input display unit 110 ) is detected, and the distance between the touch panel and the finger is determined. state relationship (S100). In step S100, according to the type of the proximity/pressure detection device 104, the processing described below is performed.

(1-1-1. Key input and state determination processing: Proximity sensor)

First, key input and state determination processing by the proximity sensor is described with reference to FIG. 8 . First, the state determination unit 120 determines whether a finger exists within the proximity detection area based on the detection result of the detection unit 112 (S111). The proximity detection area is an area up to a position at a predetermined distance from the surface of the touch panel, and the state determination unit 120 can determine whether the finger is Exists within the adjacent detection area. When it is determined that the finger does not exist within the proximity detection area, the state determination unit 120 determines that the finger is not in contact with the touch panel (state 0) (S112), and records the current state in a memory (not shown) (S119).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the finger exists within the proximity detection area, the state determination unit 120 then determines whether the touch panel performs contact detection that the finger touches the touch panel (S113). Similar to determining whether a finger exists within the proximity detection area, contact detection may also be determined based on the output value of the proximity sensor as the detection unit 112 . In the case where the finger does not touch the touch panel, that is, when the finger appears in the proximity detection area but does not touch the touch panel, the state determination unit 120 determines that the state is a contact state (state 1) (S114), and sets the current The state is recorded in the memory (S119). Also, the finger is not actually in contact with the touch panel, but it can be literally described as a "contact state".

On the other hand, when it is determined that the finger is in contact with the touch panel, the state determination unit 120 determines that there is a key input (S115). Then, the peripheral area taking the center of gravity of the input key as the origin is set (S116), and counting of time t is started (S117). The state determination unit 120 determines the state as the pressed state (state 2) (S118), and records the current state in the memory (S119).

(1-1-2. Key input and state determination processing: pressure sensor)

Next, key input and state determination processing by the pressure sensor will be described with reference to FIG. 9. First, the state determination unit 120 determines whether the pressure F measured by the pressure sensor exceeds 0 based on the detection result of the detection unit 112 (S121). Also, the detection unit 112 outputs a value of 0 when the finger is not in contact with the touch panel, and outputs a numerical value according to the magnitude of force with which the finger presses the touch panel when the finger is in contact with the touch panel. The greater the output value of the detection unit 112 is, the greater the force of the finger pressing the touch panel is. Therefore, the state determination unit 120 determines that the finger is not in contact with the touch panel (state 0) in the case where the measured pressure F does not exceed 0 (S122), and records the current state in the memory (S129).

On the other hand, in case the measured pressure F exceeds 0, the state determination unit 120 then determines whether the pressure F measured by the pressure sensor exceeds a predetermined pressure threshold F _input (S123). When the pressure F of the measured finger pressing the touch panel does not exceed the predetermined pressure threshold F _input , the state determination unit 120 determines that the state is a contact state (state 1) (S124), and the current state is recorded in the memory (S129 ).

On the other hand, in case the detected pressure F of the finger pressing the touch panel exceeds the predetermined pressure threshold _Finput , the state determination unit 120 determines that there is a key input (S125). Then, the peripheral area taking the center of gravity of the input key as the origin is set (S126), and counting of the time t is started (S127). The state determination unit 120 determines the state as the pressed state (state 2) (S128), and records the current state in the memory (S129).

In step S100 of FIG. 7 , the state relationship between the finger and the touch panel is determined, and a key input is detected by performing the processing shown in FIG. 8 or 9 according to the type of proximity/pressure detection means 104 .

(1-2. Input direction detection processing)

When the state relationship between the finger and the touch panel is determined and a key input is detected in step S100 of FIG. 7 , the input direction detection unit 130 performs a process of detecting the input direction of the finger ( S200 ). Input direction detection processing for a finger is performed based on FIG. 11 .

First, the input direction detection unit 130 determines whether the time t at which it starts counting after key input detection shown in FIG. 8 or 9 has exceeded a predetermined time T _const (S201). The predetermined time T _const is a time set for determining whether a continuous input operation is performed, and if an input operation is not performed within the predetermined time T _const , the determination area is changed to a determination area set as a default. As a default setting of the determination area, for example, the determination area of each key may be made the same. If the time t exceeds the predetermined time _Tconst in step S201, it is determined that the input operation is not continuously performed, and the determined area is changed to a default set value. In this case, the input direction of the finger remains undetermined (S202).

On the other hand, when the time t is less than the predetermined time T _const , the input direction detection unit 130 determines whether the current state is a pressed state (state 2) or a contact state (state 1) (S203). The current state can be acquired using the determination result of the state determination unit 120 . When the current state is neither the pressed state (state 2) nor the contact state (state 1), that is, when it is in the non-contact state (state 0), the input direction detection unit 130 changes the determined area to a default setting value, And the input direction of the finger remains undetermined (S202).

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S203 that the current state is the pressed state (state 2) or the contact state (state 1), the input direction detection unit 130 further determines the determined number of times to perform the process (S204) after the first key input Whether it is within 5 times (S204). Then, when the number of determinations performed in step S204 is within 5 times, the input direction detection unit 130 records the position (x, y) of the finger on the touch panel acquired by the detection unit 112 in a memory (not shown) (S205 ), and the input direction of the finger remains undetermined (S202).

On the other hand, when the number of times the determination of step S204 is performed is greater than 5 times, the input direction detection unit 130 determines whether the input direction of the finger is not determined (S206). When the input direction is not determined, the input direction detection unit 130 determines the input direction using the processing of steps S207 to S210. On the other hand, in a case where the input direction has been determined, the input direction detection unit 130 holds the determined input direction (S211), and ends the process.

Regarding the input direction, the input direction detecting unit 130 calculates an approximate straight line based on a plurality of position information of the finger (for example, 5 pieces of position information of the finger) recorded in the memory at step S205 using, for example, the least square method (S207). For example, in the case of recording the finger position record 230 as shown in FIG. 10 , the input direction detection unit 130 linearly approximates the movement history of the finger, and acquires the slope of the approximate straight line. Then, the input direction detection unit 130 determines whether the absolute value of the slope calculated at step S207 is greater than 1 (S208). That is, the slope of the approximate straight line indicates the moving direction of the finger (input direction), and by determining the magnitude of the slope, the input direction of the finger can be specified.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, when the slope of the approximate line is greater than ±45 degrees, that is, when the absolute value of the slope is greater than 1, the input direction detection unit 130 determines that the input direction of the finger is a vertical direction (S209). On the other hand, when the slope of the approximate straight line is within ±45 degrees, that is, when the absolute value of the slope does not exceed 1, the input direction detection unit 130 determines that the input direction of the finger is the horizontal direction (S210). Furthermore, in this embodiment, taking the slope 1 of the approximate straight line based on the finger position record 230 as the boundary, the input direction of the finger is divided into vertical direction and horizontal direction, but the present disclosure is not limited to this example. For example, depending on the form of the device, especially the touch panel, the slope of the approximate straight line dividing the input direction of the finger can be appropriately set.

The direction in which the key to be operated by the finger is located relative to the input key is identified by the process of step S200.

(1-3. Determined area change processing)

When the input direction of the finger is detected in step S200 of FIG. 7, the determination area changing unit 140 performs a process of changing the determination area of the key according to the input direction of the finger (S300). According to FIG. 13 , input direction detection processing for a finger is performed.

First, the determination area changing unit 140 determines whether the time t at which its counting is started after the key input detection of FIG. 8 or 9 exceeds a predetermined time T _const (S301). As described above, the predetermined time T _const is a time set for determining whether to perform a continuous input operation, and if no input operation is performed within the predetermined time T _const , the determination area is changed to a determination area set as a default . If the time t exceeds the predetermined time _Tconst in step S301, it is determined that the input operation is not continuously performed, and the determined area is changed to a default set value (S302).

On the other hand, when the time t is less than the predetermined time _Tconst , the determination area changing unit 140 determines whether the current state is a pressed state (state 2) or a contact state (state 1) (S303). The current state may be acquired through the determination result of the state determination unit 120 . When the current state is neither a pressed state (state 2) nor a contact state (state 1), that is, when being in an uncontacted state (state 0), the determination area changing unit 140 changes the determination area to a default setting value (S302).

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S303 that the current state is the pressed state (state 2) or the contact state (state 1), the determination area changing unit 140 determines whether the position of the finger is within the peripheral area (S304). For example, as shown in FIG. 12 , it may be determined whether the position of the finger is within the peripheral area by setting the peripheral area 222 . In FIG. 12, assume a case where the input key 210b has a rectangular shape and the keys are arranged in a matrix. At this time, a rectangular area with the input key 210b as the center, the length h in the vertical direction, and the length w in the horizontal direction may be set as the peripheral area of the input key 210b, for example. The lengths h and w can be determined according to the size of the key, and for example, the peripheral area 222 can be set to include 8 keys adjacent to the input key 210b, as shown in FIG. 14 .

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 13 , in a case where it is determined in step S304 that the position of the finger is not within the peripheral area 222 , it is determined that the area changing unit 140 senses that the finger is far away from the input key 210 b. Then, the determining area changing unit 140 determines whether the input direction detected by the input direction detecting unit 130 is the vertical direction (S305), and in the case that the input direction is the vertical direction, enlarges the position of the key away from the input key 210b in the vertical direction. The area is determined (S306). This is based on the assumption that if the finger moves more in the vertical direction, the key arranged vertically away from the input key 210b will then be operated. By making the determination area of the key in the input direction of the finger larger, the distance the finger moves before the key away from the input key 210b is selected can be shortened, and the physical load on the finger can be reduced.

On the other hand, in case it is determined in step S305 that the input direction of the finger is the horizontal direction, then the determination area changing unit 140 enlarges the determination area of the key away from the input key 210b in the horizontal direction (S307). Same as step S306, by making the determination area of the key in the horizontal direction larger (the horizontal direction is the moving direction of the finger), the distance that the finger moves before the key away from the input key 210b is selected can be shortened, and the finger movement can be reduced. physical load.

Returning to the processing of step S304, in the case where it is determined that the finger exists within the peripheral area 222, then the determination area changing unit 140 considers that the finger has not moved much from the position of the input key 210b. Then, the determination area changing unit 140 determines whether the input direction of the finger is the vertical direction (S308), and in the case of the input direction is the horizontal direction, enlarges the determination area of the key located in the peripheral area 222 of the input key 210b in the horizontal direction. (S309). This facilitates selection of keys around the input key 210b that the finger is trying to operate, and can reduce the physical load on the finger.

On the other hand, if the input direction is the vertical direction in step S308, the key determination area within the peripheral area 222 of the input key 210b is enlarged in the vertical direction (S310). Same as step S309, this helps to select keys around the input key 210b that the finger is trying to operate, and can reduce the physical load on the finger. In addition, in the case where the same key as the input key 210b is continuously operated, although the determination area of the input key 210b is made smaller than the default value by the processing of step S309 or S310, the deviation of the finger when the key is pressed is still small, so Think there will be no problem.

As described above, according to the input direction of the finger, with the process of step S300 in FIG. 7 , the determination area of the key that the user tries to operate next is changed. This can shorten the moving distance of the finger during continuous key input operations. Also, when the relationship between the finger and the touch panel is the contact state (state 1) or the pressed state (state 2), the processing of steps S100 to S300 is performed. Therefore, in a case where the relationship between the finger and the touch panel is the non-contact state (state 0), it is determined that the continuous operation input is not performed, and the determination area changing unit 140 changes the determination area to the default setting value.

The determination area change process performed by the information processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above. The information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment determines the input direction of the finger according to the state relationship between the finger and the touch panel, and enlarges the determined area of the key to be operated next, thereby shortening the moving distance of the finger during continuous input operations. This can reduce physical load due to friction between fingers and the device, and can improve operability of key input. In addition, the change of the information processing device 100 is made to the determined area set for each key, and the layout of the keys is not visually changed. Therefore, it can also be applied to the current key input operation.

<2. Second Embodiment>

Next, determination area change processing by the information processing device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 19 as another example of the above-described method performed by the information processing device according to another aspect of the present invention. The configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , but the definition of the state relationship between fingers and devices is different from that in the first embodiment. The state relationship between the finger and the device is divided into 3 states in the first embodiment, namely the non-contact state (state 0), the contact state (state 1) and the pressed state (state 2), but in this embodiment, It is divided into 4 states, namely uncontacted state (state 0), contacted state (state 1), half-pressed state (state 2) and pressed state (state 3). In this embodiment, a pressure sensor is used as the proximity/pressure detection device 104 of FIG. 1 .

In this embodiment, the state relationship between the finger and the device is defined as shown in FIG. 15 . That is, as shown in FIG. 15 , the state in which the finger is not in contact with the touch panel is defined as the non-contact state (state 0), and the state in which the force of the finger pressing the touch panel is between 0 and the first pressure threshold F _ride is defined as Contact state (state 1). In addition, a state in which the force F of the finger pressing the touch panel exceeds the first pressure threshold F _ride but does not exceed the second pressure threshold F _input is defined as a half-press state (state 2), and the force F of the finger pressing the touch panel exceeds the second pressure threshold F The state of the pressure threshold F _input is defined as the pressed state (state 3). Also, a key at the position of the finger in the pressed state is determined to be an input key. In the following, the center-of-gravity position of the input key is also referred to as a key input position.

Therefore, FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing key input and state determination processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing determination area selection processing according to the present embodiment. FIG. 18 is a processing list summarizing the determination area selection processing shown in FIG. 17 . FIG. 19 is a graph showing an example of a change in a certain area in which the horizontal axis shows the total movement amount of the finger and the vertical axis shows the magnitude of the measured pressure. Here, since the configuration of the information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, a detailed explanation thereof is omitted, and the determination area changing process performed by the information processing device 100 is described. In addition, detailed explanation of the same processing as that in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[Determination area change processing performed by information processing device]

As in the first embodiment, the determination area change process of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is executed according to the general flowchart shown in FIG. 7 . That is, as shown in FIG. 7, a key input performed by a user on the touch panel (input display unit 110) is first detected, and a state relationship between the touch panel and the finger is determined (S100). In step S100, the processing shown in Fig. 16 is executed.

(2-1. Key input and status determination processing)

As shown in FIG. 16, for the key input and state determination processing, first, the state determination unit 120 determines whether the pressure F measured by the pressure sensor exceeds 0 based on the detection result of the detection unit 112 (S131). Also, the detecting unit 112 outputs a value of 0 when the finger is not in contact with the touch panel, and outputs a value according to the force with which the finger presses the touch panel when the finger is in contact with the touch panel. The greater the output value of the detection unit 112 is, the greater the force of the finger pressing the touch panel is. Therefore, in the case where the measured pressure F does not exceed 0, the state determination unit 120 determines that the finger is not in contact with the touch panel (state 0) (S132), and records the current state in the memory (S139).

On the other hand, if the measured pressure F exceeds 0, the state determination unit 120 then determines whether the pressure F measured by the pressure sensor exceeds the first pressure threshold F _ride ( S133 ). In the case that the measured pressure F of the finger pressing the touch panel does not exceed the first pressure threshold _Fride , the state determination unit 120 determines that the state is a contact state (state 1) (S134), and the current state is recorded in the memory (S139 ).

On the other hand, if the pressure F measured by the finger pressing the touch panel exceeds the first pressure threshold F _ride , the state determination unit 120 further determines whether the pressure F measured by the pressure sensor exceeds the second pressure threshold F _input (S135). When the measured pressure F of the finger pressing the touch panel does not exceed the second pressure threshold F _input , the state determining unit 120 determines that the state is a half-pressed state (state 2) (S138), and the current state is recorded in the memory (S139).

On the other hand, in a case where the measured pressure F of the finger pressing the touch panel exceeds the second pressure threshold _Finput , the state determination unit 120 determines that there is a key input (S136). Then, the peripheral area taking the center of gravity of the input key as the origin is set, and counting of time t is started. The state determination unit 120 determines the state as the pressed state (state 3) (S137), and records the current state in the memory (S139).

In step S100 of FIG. 7 , the state relationship between the finger and the touch panel is determined, and key input is detected by performing the processing shown in FIG. 16 according to the type of the proximity/pressure detection device 104 .

(2-2. Input direction detection processing)

When the state relationship between the finger and the touch panel is determined at step S100 shown in FIG. 7 and a key input is detected, the input direction detection unit 130 performs a process of detecting the input direction of the finger (S200). As in the first embodiment, input direction detection processing for a finger is performed according to FIG. 11 . Therefore, an explanation of the input direction detection processing is omitted here. In the process of step S200, it is recognized which direction the key to be operated by the finger is located with respect to the input key.

(2-3. Determined area change processing)

When the input direction of the finger is detected in step S200 shown in FIG. 7, the determination area changing unit 140 performs a process of changing the determination area of the key according to the input direction of the finger (S300). According to FIG. 17 , input direction detection processing for a finger is performed.

In step S300, the determination area change unit 140 checks the record of the state relationship between the finger and the touch panel determined according to FIG. 16, and compares the current state with the previous state. First, the determination area changing unit 140 determines whether the current state is a pressed state and whether the previous state is a state other than the pressed state (that is, any one of the uncontacted state, the contacted state, and the half-pressed state) (S311 ). In step S311, a state in which the touch panel is strongly pressed after the previous state is detected. If the determination condition of step S311 is met, it is considered that the finger has not moved much from the previous state, so by enlarging the determination area of the key appearing in the peripheral area 222 of the input key 210b, the next input is facilitated.

Therefore, when step S311 is satisfied, the determination area changing unit 140 determines whether the input direction of the finger is a vertical direction to enlarge the determination area of the key within the peripheral area 222 of the input key 210b (S312). Then, in the case where the input direction of the finger is the vertical direction, the determination area changing unit 140 enlarges the determination area of the key located within the peripheral area 222 of the input key 210b in the vertical direction (S313). On the other hand, in case the input direction of the finger is the horizontal direction, the determination area changing unit 140 enlarges the determination area of the key located within the peripheral area 222 of the input key 210b in the horizontal direction (S314). In addition, the current state relationship between the finger and the touch panel in step S313 or S314 is recorded in a memory (not shown) as a previous state relationship (S322).

Furthermore, the peripheral area 222 of the input key 210b is set in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

On the other hand, if the determination condition of step S311 is not satisfied, then the determination area change unit 140 then determines whether the current state is a contact state and whether the previous state is a half-pressed state or a pressed state (S315). In step S315, a state in which the force pressing the touch panel is reduced after the previous state is detected. When the determination condition of step S315 is satisfied, it is considered that the probability of operating a key arranged away from the input key 210b is high, so the determination area changing unit 140 performs processing of enlarging the determination area of the key located away from the input key 210b.

Therefore, when step S315 is satisfied, the determination area changing unit 140 determines whether the input direction of the finger is the vertical direction to enlarge the determination area of the key arranged away from the input key 210b (S316). Then, in the case where the input direction of the finger is the horizontal direction, the determination area changing unit 140 enlarges the determination area of the key arranged away from the input key 210b in the horizontal direction (S317). On the other hand, in the case where the input direction of the finger is the vertical direction, the determination area changing unit 140 enlarges the determination area of the key arranged away from the input key 210b in the vertical direction (S318). In addition, the current state relationship between the finger and the touch panel in step S317 or S318 is recorded in a memory (not shown) as a previous state relationship (S322).

On the other hand, if the determination condition of step S315 is not satisfied, the determination area change unit 140 further determines whether the current state is an uncontacted state and whether the previous state is any one of a contact state, a half-pressed state, and a pressed state. (S319). Step S319 is a process of detecting that a transition to the non-contact state has been made, and in a case where the determination condition of step S319 is satisfied, the determination area is changed to a default setting value.

That is, when step S319 is satisfied, the determination area changing unit 140 changes the determination area to a default setting value (S320). On the other hand, since the non-contact state of the finger with respect to the touch panel continues in the case where step S319 is not satisfied, the determination area changing unit 140 maintains the current determination area (S321). Then, the current state relationship between the finger and the touch panel in step S320 or S321 is recorded in a memory (not shown) as a previous state relationship (S322).

The determination area change processing according to the present embodiment will be outlined as shown in FIG. 18 . In this way, according to the input direction of the finger, the determination area of the key to be operated by the user next is changed by the process of step S300 of FIG. 7 . This shortens the movement distance of the fingers during continuous key input operations. Also, when the relationship between the finger and the touch panel is the contact state (state 1), the half-press state (state 2), or the pressed state (state 3), the processing of steps S100 to S300 is performed. Therefore, in a case where the relationship between the finger and the touch panel is the non-contact state (state 0), it is determined that the continuous operation input is not performed, and the determination area changing unit 140 changes the determination area to the default setting value.

[Example of determining area change]

FIG. 19 shows an example of determining a region change. In the graph shown in FIG. 19, the horizontal axis shows the total amount of finger movement, and the vertical axis shows the magnitude of the measured pressure. The number from 0 to 10 indicates the size of the pressure, and indicates that the larger the value, the greater the pressure. Here, the first pressure threshold F _ride is set to 6.5, and the second pressure threshold F _input is set to 8.5.

As shown in FIG. 19 , when the force with which the finger presses the touch panel exceeds the second pressure threshold, the key at the position of the finger becomes an input key. Although the input is continuously performed after determining the position of the input key (input key position) with a pressure greater than the pressure threshold value F _ride using the measured pressure, the determined area of the key located in the peripheral area of the input key remains in the enlarged state, and the input key The identified area of the remains reduced. Then, when the measured pressure falls within the first pressure threshold F _ride , the determination area changing unit 140 enlarges the determination area of the key arranged away from the input key. Then, when the finger is removed from the touch panel, the determination area is changed to the default setting value. The determination area changing unit 140 changes the determination area in such a manner according to the state relationship between the finger and the touch panel, and improves the operability of key input.

The determination area change process performed by the information processing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above. As in the first embodiment, the information processing device 100 according to the present embodiment shortens the consecutive The movement distance of the finger during the input operation. This can reduce the physical load caused by the friction between the finger and the device, and can improve the operability of key input. Furthermore, the change of the information processing apparatus 100 is performed for the determined area set for each key, and the layout of the keys does not change visually. Therefore, it can also be applied to the current key input operation.

It should be understood by those skilled in the technical field that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

For example, in the above embodiments, the shape of the key and the peripheral area 222 is rectangular, but the present disclosure is not limited to these examples. For example, the key may be circular in shape. In addition, the shape of the peripheral area 222 can be set according to the shape of the key, and when the shape of the key is circular, for example, the shape of the peripheral area 222 can also be made circular.

Claims (19)

1. a messaging device, including:

Display controller, is configured to control display to show keyboard；

Interface, is configured to reception and inputs corresponding position letter with the user detected at user interface Breath；And

Processor, is configured to determine the positional information received corresponding to the first of shown keyboard The first of key determines region, and determines in the first party determining region towards described first according to described Extend up the second of the second key and determine that region is simultaneously in second direction opposite to the first direction Upper reduction described second determines the described second size increase determining region that is sized such that in region, and Do not change the display size of described first key and do not increase the described first size determining region.

Messaging device the most according to claim 1, wherein said messaging device bag Include described display, and described display is user interface.

Messaging device the most according to claim 1, wherein said user interface includes neighbour Closely detect device, be configured to detection at this user interface and input corresponding input component with user Contact.

Messaging device the most according to claim 1, wherein said user interface includes neighbour Closely detect device, be configured to detection and input the neighbour of corresponding input component and this user interface with user Closely.

Messaging device the most according to claim 1, wherein said user interface includes pressure Force transducer, is configured to detection and inputs the pressure of corresponding input component at user interface with user Power.

Messaging device the most according to claim 1, wherein said second key mapping is in described The periphery of the first key, and described processor is configured to determine towards described first true according to described Determine described in the Directional Extension in region second and determine region.

Messaging device the most according to claim 1, wherein said second key is with more than one Individual key is arranged away from described first key, and described processor is configured to determine in court according to described Described first and determine that the side in region extends up described second and determines region.

Messaging device the most according to claim 1, wherein said processor is configured to According to described determine determining the Directional Extension in region towards described first and including described second key Corresponding multiple of multiple keys determine that region and described second determines region.

Messaging device the most according to claim 1, wherein said first determine region and Described first key is configured in and includes in more than first the first row determining region and more than first key, and Described second determines that region and described second key are configured in includes that more than second determines region and second In second row of multiple keys.

Messaging device the most according to claim 9, wherein said second line position is in described The periphery of the first row, and described processor is configured to determine towards described the first row according to described Directional Extension described in more than second determine region.

11. messaging devices according to claim 9, wherein said second row is with more than one Row arrange away from described the first row, and described processor be configured to according to described determine towards The side of described the first row extends up described more than second and determines region.

12. according to the messaging device described in claim 10 or 11, wherein said processor quilt It is configured to when described second determines that region determines region further away from described first with higher amplification Extend described second and determine region.

13. messaging devices according to claim 1, wherein said interface is joined further It is set to receive and inputs corresponding status information, described shape with the user detected at described user interface State information instruction input component press shape not in contact with state, the contact condition of input component and input component In state one.

14. messaging devices according to claim 13, wherein pass through proximity detection means Export described status information, and described proximity detection means be configured to:

When outside described input component is positioned at the proximity detection region of described proximity detection means, detection is described Not in contact with state；

When described input component is positioned at the proximity detection region of described proximity detection means, detection is described Contact condition；And

And examine on the user interface within described input component is positioned at described proximity detection region When measuring contact, detect described down state.

15. messaging devices according to claim 13, wherein defeated by pressure transducer Go out described status information, and described pressure transducer be configured to:

When described input component is not in contact with described user interface, detection is described not in contact with state；

When described input component contacts described user interface and is surveyed the power contacted less than predetermined threshold, inspection Survey described contact condition；And

When described input component contacts described user interface and is surveyed the power contacted more than predetermined threshold, inspection Survey described down state.

16. messaging devices according to claim 1, wherein said interface is joined further It is set to receive and represents the direction inputting corresponding input component with the user detected at this user interface Directional information.

17. messaging devices according to claim 13, wherein said processor is configured Become and input corresponding status information to expansion according to receive with the user detected at user interface Described in exhibition, second determines that region is controlled.

18. messaging devices according to claim 16, wherein said processor is configured The expression according to receiving is become to input corresponding input component with the user detected at user interface To extension described second, the directional information in direction determines that region is controlled.

19. 1 kinds of methods performed by messaging device, the method includes:

Display is controlled, to show keyboard by display controller；

Seam at described messaging device receives defeated with the user detected at user interface Enter the positional information of correspondence；

Determined that by the processor of messaging device the positional information received is corresponding to shown The first of first key of keyboard determines region；And

According to described determine determining that the first party in region extends up the second key towards described first Second to determine that region reduces in second direction opposite to the first direction simultaneously described second true That determines region is sized such that described second determines that the size in region increases, and does not change described first key Display size and do not increase the described first size determining region.