TW201535192A - Information processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An information processing device comprises: a touch manipulation unit which accepts an input of information by a touch manipulation upon an input region; a control unit which controls the validity of the input function of the touch manipulation unit; and a connection terminal which connects an external input device. The input region of the touch manipulation unit further comprises a specified region, and another region which is different from the specified region. If the external input device is not connected to the connection terminal (S410), the control unit makes the input from the touch manipulation which is made upon the specified region and the other region of the input region valid (S460), and if the external input device is connected to the connection terminal, makes the input from the touch manipulation which is made upon the other region invalid (S450).

Description

Information processing device

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus having an input device for inputting information by a touch operation.

In recent years, a touch panel having information input by touch operation in various electronic devices has been widely used as an input mechanism (Patent Documents 1 to 4, etc.). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a notebook type personal computer having a touch panel as an input mechanism in addition to a keyboard. Further, Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose a steering device and a camera of an automobile provided with a touch panel as an input mechanism, respectively.

[Previous Technical Literature]

[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-138218

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-186858

[Patent Document 3] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-145444

[Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-120593

Since the touch panel accepts an input when the user touches the finger or the like, when the user unconsciously touches the touch panel, a problem of erroneous input occurs.

For example, in a personal computer, a touchpad is usually disposed near the keyboard. therefore, During the user's use of the keyboard for inputting work, there is often a case where the user unconsciously touches a part of the user's palm to the touch panel. Such a user's unintentional contact with the touchpad can cause erroneous input, resulting in a problem that causes the user to unconsciously move.

The present disclosure provides an information processing apparatus that reduces the possibility of erroneous input generated on a touch panel.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an information processing apparatus is provided. The information processing apparatus includes: a touch operation unit that accepts input of information by a touch operation on an input area; and a control unit that controls The input/output function of the touch operation unit is valid/invalid; and the connection terminal is connected to an external input device. The input area of the touch operation unit includes a specific area and other areas than the specific area. The control unit sets the input generated by the touch operation in all areas of the input area to be effective when the external input device is not connected to the connection terminal, and when the connection terminal is connected with the external input device, the other is The input generated by the touch operation in the area is invalid.

In the second aspect of the present disclosure, the information processing apparatus includes: a touch operation unit that accepts input of information by a touch operation on the input area; and a control unit that controls input of the touch operation unit Valid/invalid function. The control unit limits the area in which the input of the information generated by the touch operation is accepted to a part of the area in the input area of the touch operation unit when the specific condition is satisfied.

The information processing apparatus of the present disclosure can reduce erroneous input caused by a user's finger or the like erroneously touching a touch operation portion such as a touch panel.

100‧‧‧Information processing device

110‧‧‧ frame

120‧‧‧ keyboard

130‧‧‧Connecting terminal

140‧‧‧Touchpad

150‧‧‧Touchpad buttons

210‧‧‧Specific areas

220‧‧‧Other areas

310‧‧‧ processor

320‧‧‧ memory device

325‧‧‧OS

330‧‧‧ busbar

340‧‧‧Touchpad Controller

350‧‧‧External I/O Controller

A‧‧‧Little chain/touch operation start point

B‧‧‧ Touch operation end point

S400~S460‧‧‧Steps

S500~S560‧‧‧Steps

Fig. 1 is a view showing the appearance of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a view showing an enlarged view of a touch panel of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of an information processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation performed by the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation performed by the information processing apparatus of the second embodiment.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating continuous touch operations from a particular area to a particular area.

Hereinafter, the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, there are cases where unnecessary detailed explanations are omitted. For example, a detailed description of well-known matters or a repetitive description of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. The reason for this is to avoid the unnecessary simplification of the following description, which will be easily understood by those skilled in the art.

In addition, the inventors, etc., are intended to provide an additional understanding of the subject matter of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

(Embodiment 1)

Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.

[1-1. Composition]

Fig. 1 is a view showing the appearance of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. The information processing device 100 performs various functions based on a specific program. In the present embodiment, an example in which a notebook personal computer is used as an example of an information processing apparatus is shown.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the information processing device 100 has a housing 110 , a keyboard 120 , a connection terminal 130 , a touch panel 140 , and a touch panel button 150 . Hereinafter, each component will be described.

The keyboard 120 accepts key input from a user of the information processing apparatus 100. The keyboard 120 is disposed in the housing 110.

The connection terminal 130 is for connecting a terminal of an external machine. The external device includes an external memory device such as an SSD (Solid State Device), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and an optical disk device, and an external input device. The external input device is a device that accepts various inputs from a user of the information processing device 100, such as a package. Includes mouse, keyboard, and trackpad. In the information processing device 100 of the present embodiment, the connection terminal 130 includes a USB (Universal Serial Bus (registered trademark): universal serial bus) terminal. The connection terminal 130 may also include a terminal of a interface common to both wired and wireless, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), PS/2 (registered trademark), or the like.

The touch panel 140 is a device that accepts input of information generated by a touch operation performed by a user's finger or a stylus. The touch panel 140 detects a position touched by a finger or the like, and outputs information indicating the detected position coordinates.

The touch panel button 150 is a push button that transmits various commands to the information processing device 100 by accepting input from a user of the information processing device 100. The trackpad button 150 is used as an aid to the contact operation by the touchpad 140.

2 is a view showing an enlarged view of the touch panel 140 and the touch panel button 150 of the information processing device 100 of the first embodiment. The touch panel 140 has a detection surface that detects a touch operation (contact operation) performed by a user's finger or a stylus. The touch panel 140 detects the physical coordinates of the position on the detection surface touched by the user. The area of one of the detection faces is set as the specific area 210. Further, a region different from the specific region 210 of the detection surface is referred to as another region 220. In the figure, substantially all areas of the detection surface are formed by the specific area 210 and the other areas 220.

In the case of normal operation, in the touch panel 140, the area including the specific area 210 and other areas of the detection surface is set as an area (hereinafter referred to as "effective area") that can detect the touch input of the user. On the other hand, when the external input device is connected to the connection terminal 130, the effective area of the touch panel 140 is limited to the specific area 210. That is, the specific area 210 can detect the area of the user's touch operation even when the effective area is limited. On the other hand, the other area 220 is an area that is invalid based on input from the user's touch operation when the effective area of the touch panel 140 is limited. In the present disclosure, the other regions 220 are set along the outer edge of the detection surface of the touch panel 140. In addition, with respect to other regions 220 of the present disclosure, a point line A passing through one of the centers of the touch panel 140 is used as a boundary. When the area of the touchpad is divided into upper and lower ranges, the area (range) occupied by the other area 220 in the range close to the side of the keyboard 120 is larger than the other area 220 in the range away from the side of the keyboard 120. In the manner of area (range), other areas 220 are set.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the main internal configuration of the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. The information processing device 100 includes a processor 310, a memory device 320, an external I/O controller 350, and a touch panel controller 340.

The memory device 320 temporarily or permanently stores the data necessary for the processing of the information processing device 100. For example, in the memory device 320, an OS (Operating System) 325 or a program or the like is stored. For the memory device 320, a volatile memory (DRAM, SRAM, etc.), a non-volatile memory (such as a flash memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or the like is used.

The bus bar 330 transmits data or commands transmitted and received by each component of the information processing device 100. Control signals or data are transmitted and received between the components of the information processing device 100 via the bus bar 330.

The touch panel controller 340 corresponds to a touch operation from the user, and converts the touched coordinates into a form that the processor 310 can process. It is converted into a coordinate form such as (X, Y).

The external I/O controller 350 is electrically connected to the connection terminal 130, and communicates with an external device connected to the connection terminal 130 according to a specific interface. When the external input device is connected to the connection terminal 130, the external I/O controller 350 acquires information on the connection state of the external input device connected to the connection terminal 130. Information about the connection status includes information about the presence or absence of a connection. The external input device is a pointing device such as a pointing symbol of a mouse or a touchpad, and generates information indicating the coordinates and outputs it as the user of the external input device operates. The external I/O controller 350 acquires information indicating the coordinates indicated by the user to the external input/output device from the external input/output device.

The processor 310 is based on a seat from an external input device and/or a trackpad controller 340 The information of the standard is calculated and the coordinates of the coordinates managed on the OS325 are calculated. For example, the processor 310 calculates an indication coordinate based on information obtained based on the movement of the mouse when the mouse is connected to the connection terminal 130 as an external input device. The processor 310 implements various functions of the information processing apparatus 100 by executing a program stored in the memory device 320. The processor 310 can be configured as a processor that is compatible with software to implement various functions, and can be a dedicated processor designed to implement various functions only by hardware.

[1-2. Action]

The operation of the information processing apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation performed by the information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. The various processes of the flow chart shown in FIG. 4 are performed periodically by the processor 310.

This processing is executed when a pressing event is generated (S400). The pressing event is an event that is detected on the detecting surface of the touch panel 140 to detect touch (contact) by a user's finger or the like. The processor 310 recognizes a press event via the touchpad controller 340. As an example of a specific method for causing the information processing apparatus 100 to recognize the start of a pressing event, there is a method in which the processor 310 acquires the coordinate via the bus bar 330 each time the touch panel controller 340 acquires a coordinate. Moreover, as another method, the processor 310 can use the program prepared by the OS 325 (API: Application Programming Interface) to perform touch detection based on the data obtained from the touch panel controller 340, and can recognize the pressing. The beginning of the event.

The processor 310 confirms whether or not an external input device is connected to the connection terminal 130 (S410). In addition, the processor 310 can confirm whether an external input device is connected to the connection terminal 130 by using an program (API) prepared by the OS 325.

When the external input device is not connected to the connection terminal 130 (No in S410), the processor 310 sets the input (detection) of the touch operation for the specific area 210 of the touch panel 140 and the other area 220 to be valid (S460). ). That is, the processor 310 is connected to a specific area 210 of the touch panel 140 and other areas 220, and the detected touch operation is touch input. (coordinates) are treated as valid.

On the other hand, when the external input device is connected to the connection terminal 130 (Yes in S410), the processor 310 acquires the coordinates obtained by the touch panel controller 340 (the coordinates of the position of the touch operation), and the memory In the memory device 320 (S420).

Next, the processor 310 determines whether the coordinates stored in the memory device 320 are coordinates within the specific area 210 (S430). Specifically, the processor 310 determines whether the coordinates (X, Y) stored in the memory device 320 exist in the coordinate group (X1 ... Xn, Y1 ... Yn) occupied by the specific region 210.

When the memorized coordinates are the coordinates in the specific area 210, that is, when the touch operation is performed in the specific area 210 (Yes in S430), the processor 310 will target the specific area 210 and other areas of the touch panel 140. The input of 220 is set to be valid (S440). That is, the processor 310 is connected to all areas of the touch panel 140, and the detected touch operation, that is, the touch input (coordinate), is processed as an effective one.

On the other hand, if the memorized coordinates are not the coordinates in the specific area 210, that is, when the touch operation is performed in the area outside the specific area 210 (No in S430), the processor 310 will be directed to the touch panel 140. The input of the specific area 210 is set to be valid, and the input to the other area 220 is set to be invalid (S450). That is, the processor 310 treats the touch input detected in the specific area 210 of the touch panel 140 as an effective process, but processes the touch input detected in the other area 220 as invalid. As a method of invalidating the touch input, for example, it is considered that the coordinate information acquired by the touch panel controller 340 is intercepted and not transmitted to the OS 325. Here, the interception system interrupts the information between the touch panel controller 340 and the OS 325 to prevent the communication of information.

As described above, the information processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment limits the effective area of the detection surface of the touch panel 140 to a part of the area (the specific area 210) when the external input device such as a mouse is connected. By limiting the effective area of the touch panel 140 in this manner, the erroneous operation of the touch panel 140 can be reduced.

[1-3. Effects, etc.]

As described above, the information processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment includes a touch panel 140 that accepts input of information by a touch operation on an input area, and a processor 310 that controls the touch panel 140. The input function is valid/invalid; and the connection terminal 130 is connected to an external input device. The input area of the touchpad 140 includes: a specific area 210; and other areas 220 that are different from the specific area 210. The processor 310 is configured to validate the input generated by the touch operation of the specific area 210 of the input area and the other area 220 when the external input device is not connected to the connection terminal 130. On the other hand, when the external input device is connected to the connection terminal 130, the processor 310 invalidates the input generated by the touch operation in the other area 220.

According to the above configuration, when the external input device is connected, in the information processing device 100, even if the user's finger or the like touches a part of the touch panel 140, the touch is not input as an input. Therefore, the user can reduce the situation in which the external input device is connected to the information processing device 100, in other words, the possibility that the touch panel 140 included in the information processing device 100 is not used. The possibility of erroneous input generated by the touch panel 140 is erroneously touched.

Further, in the information processing device 100 of the present disclosure, the processor 310 disables the input of the region 220 on the periphery of the detection surface when the external input device is connected.

In this way, the portion of the detection surface of the touch panel 140 that is more easily contacted when the input is generated (the periphery of the touch panel 140) can be preferentially disabled. According to the above control, the portion near the center (the specific region 210) of the touch panel 140 can be used when the external input device is connected, so that the erroneous input can be prevented while maintaining the convenience of the user.

Further, in the other region 220 where the touch input becomes invalid when the external input device is connected, the range (area) of the region from the center of the touch panel 140 to the keyboard 120 side is larger than the range (area) of the region other than the touch panel 140. The other way 220 is set.

In this way, the detection surface of the touch panel 140 can be made easier in generating an erroneous input. The location of the contact is set to be invalid. It is generally considered that a portion of the touch panel that is apt to generate an erroneous input is a peripheral edge of the touch panel and is a portion near the keyboard, and a portion near the lower portion of the touch panel 140 (specific region 210) is less likely to cause erroneous input. According to the above control, even when the external input device is connected, the portion (the specific region 210) of the touch panel 140 close to the lower side can be used, so that the erroneous input can be prevented while maintaining the convenience of the user.

(Embodiment 2)

Other examples of operations of the information processing device 100 will be described. The configuration of the information processing device 100 of the present embodiment is as described in the first embodiment. The operation of the information processing apparatus 100 of the second embodiment will be described using the flowchart of Fig. 5 . The various processes of the flow chart shown in FIG. 5 are performed periodically by the processor 310.

This processing is executed when a pressing event occurs (S500). When a pressing event occurs, first, the processor 310 confirms whether or not an external input device is connected to the connection terminal 130 (S510).

When the external input device is not connected (NO in S510), the processor 310 sets the input to all areas of the detection surface of the touch panel 140 to be valid (S560). That is, processor 310 processes the touch inputs for all regions as valid inputs.

On the other hand, when the external input device is connected (Yes in S510), the processor 310 acquires the coordinates of the start position of the touch operation from the touch panel controller 340, and memorizes it in the memory device 320 (S520). Here, the touch operation refers to a continuous operation in which a finger or a stylus is touched on the detection surface, and the finger or the stylus is separated from the detection surface. As such a continuous operation, there are, for example, a gesture operation of sliding, swiping, pinching, expanding, and dragging. Therefore, the starting position of the touch operation refers to the position of the detection surface of the first touch when performing such a continuous touch operation. The processor 310 can recognize that the currently detected touch operation is a continuous touch operation after detecting the pressing event until the end of the event indicating that the touch ends (ie, the finger or the stylus leaves the detecting surface). .

Next, the processor 310 determines the beginning of the touch operation stored in the memory device 320. Whether the coordinates of the position are coordinates within the specific area 210 (S530).

When the coordinates of the start position of the touch operation are the coordinates in the specific area 210 (Yes in S530), the processor 310 sets the input for the specific area 210 and the other area 220 to be valid (S540). That is, the processor 310 is configured to detect the touch input as an effective input in the area of the detection surface including the specific area 210 and the other area 220.

Thus, if the coordinates of the start position of the touch operation are within the specific area 210 (ie, outside the other area 220), the processor 310 can detect the surface even when the information processing device 100 is connected to the external input device. The touch input in all areas is set to be valid. By such control, it is possible to reduce the touch operation (input that is not likely to be erroneously input) from the specific area 210 to the outside of the specific area 210 as an erroneous input. That is, in the present embodiment, the possibility of inputting from the specific area 210 to the other area 220 may be considered, and if a series of touch operation start positions are detected in the specific area 210, then The touch input detected in the other area 220 is set to be invalid. Thereby, as long as the user does not leave the finger from the specific area 210, the continuous touch operation such as sliding or rubbing can be continued to the other area 220.

On the other hand, when the coordinates of the start position of the touch operation are the coordinates outside the specific area 210 (No in S530), the processor 310 sets the touch input for the specific area 210 to be valid, and will target other areas 220. The touch input is set to invalid (S550). That is, the processor 310 processes the touch input for the specific area 210 as a valid input, and treats the touch input for the other area 220 as an invalid input.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the validity/invalidation of the touch input for the region 220 other than the specific region 210 is determined based on the coordinates of the start position of the continuous touch operation. Thereby, the gesture operation starting from the specific area 210 can be recognized as an effective touch operation until the end of the operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the touch operation is continuously performed from point A of one of the specific areas 210 to point B of the other area 220, if the start point of the touch operation is within the specific area 210 (Yes in S530), Then even moving in other areas The domain 220 detects the touch operation and can also process the operation as an effective touch input (S540).

On the other hand, when the touch operation is performed continuously from the area 220 outside the specific area 210 to the specific area 210, the touch point is not in the specific area 210 (No in S530), and the touch is performed in the other area 220. During the operation, the touch input is processed as an invalid input (S550). Thereafter, when the touch operation is detected in the specific area 210, the touch operation is processed as an effective input (S550).

As described above, the information processing apparatus 100 disclosed in the first and second embodiments includes a touch panel 140 that accepts input of information by a touch operation on an input area, and a processor 310 that controls The input function of the touch panel 140 is valid/invalid. The processor 310 limits the area where the input of the information generated by the touch operation is accepted to a part of the area in the input area of the touch operation unit when the specific condition is satisfied. For example, when the information processing device 100 is connected to an external input device, the area where the input of the information generated by the touch operation is accepted is limited to a part of the area. By limiting the input area of the touch operation unit in such a manner, it is possible to reduce the user's erroneous touch under the condition that the information processing device 100 is connected to the external input device and the possibility of using the touch panel 140 is low. The possibility of erroneous input generated by the touch panel 140 is encountered.

(Other embodiments)

The functions shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 can also be implemented by controlling the touch panel driver of the touch panel 140. Or, it can be implemented by a different utility than the touchpad driver. In this case, the utility only needs to be stored between the touch panel driver and the OS 325 to determine whether the touch input coordinates detected by the touch panel driver are valid/invalid, and only the effective touch input coordinates are transmitted to the OS 325. can.

In the above embodiment, whether or not the external input device is connected to the information processing device 100 is determined as a specific condition for restricting the effective area of the detection surface of the touch panel 140 (S410, S510). When determining whether to limit the effective area of the detecting surface of the touch panel 140 The condition of the standard is not limited thereto, and for example, a specific operation may be used as a condition. The specific operation includes, for example, pressing a specific key or a specific area of the detecting surface of the touch panel 140. In the above embodiment, the specific region 210 and the other regions 220 are displayed so as to form substantially all regions of the detection surface. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the third region other than the specific region 210 and the other regions 220 may be included in the detection surface.

As described above, the embodiment will be described as an example of the technology of the present disclosure. Therefore, additional drawings and detailed descriptions are provided.

Therefore, the constituent elements described in the additional drawings and the detailed description include not only the constituent elements necessary for solving the problem, but also the constituent elements that are not necessary for solving the problem in order to exemplify the above-described techniques. Therefore, the constituent elements that are not essential are not described in the additional drawings or the detailed description, and it is necessary to directly identify such non-essential constituent elements.

In addition, the above-described embodiments are intended to exemplify the present invention, and various changes, substitutions, additions, omissions, and the like are possible within the scope of the claims.

[Industrial availability]

The present disclosure is applicable to an information processing apparatus or an electronic apparatus having an input device (for example, a touch panel) that performs a touch operation. For example, it can be applied to personal computers, workstations, smart phones, tablet terminals.

S400~S460‧‧‧Steps

Claims (4)

An information processing device includes: a touch operation unit that accepts input of information by a touch operation on an input area; and a control unit that controls whether an input function of the touch operation unit is valid/invalid; a connection terminal connected to the external input device; wherein the input area of the touch operation unit includes a specific area and another area different from the specific area; and the control unit is not connected to the external input at the connection terminal In the case of the device, the input generated by the touch operation in the specific area and the other areas of the input area is valid; when the external input device is connected to the connection terminal, the other The input generated by the touch operation for the area is invalid. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to connect the external input device to the connection terminal, wherein the touch operation in the touch operation unit is a continuous touch operation, and When the specific area starts and the input to the other areas is included, the input of the above touch operation is made valid. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the other regions are disposed outside the specific region. An information processing device includes: a touch operation unit that accepts input of information by a touch operation on an input area; and a control unit that controls the activation/invalidation of the input function of the touch operation unit; and the control unit is adapted to receive the touch operation by the touch operation in the input area of the touch operation unit when the specific condition is met. The area in which information is entered is limited to a part of the area.