A panel control device includes a processor. The processor is configured to perform processes including acquiring a plurality of pressed cells and a plurality of cell coordinates, the plurality of pressed cells being a plurality of cells, among pluralities of cells that divide a panel into a plurality of regions, to which pressing forces are applied simultaneously, and each of the plurality of cell coordinates being coordinate information that indicates a position within one of the pressed cells to which the pressing forces have been applied, specifying, as at least one candidate cell, at least one of the plurality of pressed cells based on positional relationships among the plurality of cell coordinates included in an adjacency group, and specifying designation coordinates based on cell coordinates, among the plurality of cell coordinates, that indicates a position within the at least one candidate cell.
|
9. A panel control method, comprising:
acquiring a plurality of pressed cells and a plurality of cell coordinates, the plurality of pressed cells being a plurality of cells, among pluralities of cells that divide a panel into a plurality of regions, to which pressing force is applied simultaneously, and each of the plurality of cell coordinates being coordinate information that indicates a position of a center of gravity of an area, of one of the pressed cells, to which the pressing force has been applied;
specifying, as at least one candidate cell, at least one of the plurality of pressed cells based on positional relationships among the plurality of cell coordinates included in an adjacency group, the adjacency group being a plurality of pressed cells that are adjacent to one another; and
specifying designation coordinates based on cell coordinates, among the plurality of cell coordinates, that indicates a position within the at least one candidate cell, the designation coordinates being coordinate information that indicates a position on the panel designated by being pressed by a user,
wherein
the method further comprises:
specifying an extent of separation between two of the pressed cells for every pair of the pressed cells that are included in the plurality of pressed cells; and
identifying, among the plurality of pressed cells, a plurality of pressed cells for which the specified extents of separation satisfy a specified condition,
the specifying the at least one candidate cell includes specifying the at least one candidate cells based on positional relationships among a plurality of positions within the identified plurality of pressed cells, the plurality of positions being indicated by a plurality of cell coordinates included in the identified plurality of pressed cells,
the acquiring the plurality of pressed cells and the plurality of cell coordinates includes:
acquiring a plurality of pressed cells repeatedly in cycles; and
storing in a storage portion, in each of the cycles, the plurality of pressed cells acquired in a cycle,
the method further comprises:
invaliding, in a case where a plurality of pressed cells satisfying the specified condition are identified among the plurality of pressed cells acquired in a first cycle, the pressed cells, among plurality of pressed cells acquired and stored in the storage portion in a second cycle, that are not disposed in the same positions as the identified pressed cells, the second cycle being a different cycle from the first cycle, and
the specifying the designation coordinates includes specifying the designation coordinates based on the cell coordinates within the pressed cells that are among the at least one candidate cell, exclusive of the invalidated pressed cells.
1. A panel control device, comprising:
a processor configured to perform processes comprising:
acquiring a plurality of pressed cells and a plurality of cell coordinates, the plurality of pressed cells being a plurality of cells, among pluralities of cells that divide a panel into a plurality of regions, to which pressing force is applied simultaneously, and each of the plurality of cell coordinates being coordinate information that indicates a position of a center of gravity of an area, of one of the pressed cells, to which the pressing force has been applied;
specifying, as at least one candidate cell, at least one of the plurality of pressed cells based on positional relationships among the plurality of cell coordinates included in an adjacency group, the adjacency group being a plurality of pressed cells that are adjacent to one another; and
specifying designation coordinates based on cell coordinates, among the plurality of cell coordinates, that indicates a position within the at least one candidate cell, the designation coordinates being coordinate information that indicates a position on the panel designated by being pressed by a user,
wherein
the processor is further configured to perform processes of:
specifying an extent of separation between two of the pressed cells for every pair of the pressed cells that are included in the plurality of pressed cells; and
identifying, among the plurality of pressed cells, a plurality of pressed cells for which the specified extents of separation satisfy a specified condition,
the specifying the at least one candidate cell includes specifying the at least one candidate cell based on positional relationships among a plurality of positions within the identified plurality of pressed cells, the plurality of positions being indicated by a plurality of cell coordinates included in the identified plurality of pressed cells,
the acquiring the plurality of pressed cells and the plurality of cell coordinates includes:
acquiring a plurality of pressed cells repeatedly in cycles; and
storing in a storage portion, in each of the cycles, the plurality of pressed cells acquired in a cycle,
the processor is further configured to perform a process of:
invalidating, in a case where a plurality of pressed cells satisfying the specified condition are identified among the plurality of pressed cells acquired in a first cycle, the pressed cells, among the plurality of pressed cells acquired and stored in the storage portion in a second cycle, that are not disposed in the same positions as the identified pressed cells, the second cycle being a different cycle from the first cycle, and
the specifying the designation coordinates includes specifying the destination coordinates based on the cell coordinates within the pressed cells that are among the at least one candidate cell, exclusive of the invalidated pressed cells.
10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that cause a device to perform the steps of:
acquiring a plurality of pressed cells and a plurality of cell coordinates, the plurality of pressed cells being a plurality of cells, among pluralities of cells that divide a panel into a plurality of regions, to which pressing force is applied simultaneously, and each of the plurality of cell coordinates being coordinate information that indicates a position of a center of gravity of an area, of one of the pressed cells, to which the pressing force has been applied;
specifying, as at least one candidate cell, at least one of the plurality of pressed cells based on positional relationships among the plurality of cell coordinates included in an adjacency group, the adjacency group being a plurality of pressed cells that are adjacent to one another; and
specifying designation coordinates based on cell coordinates, among the plurality of cell coordinates, that indicates a position within the at least one candidate cell, the designation coordinates being coordinate information that indicates a position on the panel designated by being pressed by a user,
wherein
the instructions further cause the device to perform the steps of:
specifying an extent of separation between two of the pressed cells for every pair of the pressed cells that are included in the plurality of pressed cells; and
identifying, among the plurality of pressed cells, a plurality of pressed cells for which the specified extents of separation satisfy a specified condition,
the specifying the at least one candidate cell includes specifying the at least one candidate cell based on positional relationships among a plurality of positions within the identified plurality of pressed cells, the plurality of positions being indicated by a plurality of cell coordinates included in the identified plurality of pressed cells,
the acquiring the plurality of pressed cells and the plurality of cell coordinates includes:
acquiring a plurality or pressed cells repeatedly in cycles; and
storing in a storage portion, in each of the cycles, the plurality of pressed cells acquired in a cycle,
the instructions further cause the device to perform the step of:
invalidating, in a case where a plurality of pressed cells satisfying the specified condition are identified among the plurality of pressed cells acquired in a first cycle, the pressed cells, among the plurality of pressed cells acquired and stored in the storage portion in a second cycle, that are not disposed in the same positions as the identified pressed cells, the second cycle being a different cycle from the first cycle, and
the specifying the designation coordinates includes specifying the designation coordinates based on the cell coordinates within the pressed cells that are among the at least one candidate cell, exclusive of the invalidated pressed cells.
2. The panel control device according to
the specifying the at least one candidate cell includes
calculating a distance between two of the cell coordinates for every pair of the cell coordinates that are included in the plurality of cell coordinates, and
specifying, as the at least one candidate cell, at least one of the pressed cells that includes a pair of cell coordinates for which the calculated distance is not greater than a relative threshold value that is a specified value.
3. The panel control device according to
the specifying the at least one candidate cell includes specifying, as the at least one candidate cell, at least one of the pressed cells that includes cell coordinates that indicates a position whose distance from a first reference point is not greater than a reference threshold value that is a specified value, the first reference point being a point that is set in a boundary region among a plurality of adjacent cells that are included in the adjacency group.
4. The panel control device according to
the specifying the at least one candidate cell includes specifying, as the at least one candidate cell, at least one of the pressed cells that includes cell coordinates that indicates a position whose distance from a second reference point is not greater than a reference threshold value that is a specified value, the second reference point being a point that is indicated by mean value coordinates whose values are the averages of cell coordinates that indicate positions within the plurality of pressed cells that are included in the adjacency group.
5. The panel control device according to
the processor is further configured to perform a process of:
acquiring a pressing force magnitude for each one of the plurality of pressed cells, the pressing force magnitude being the magnitude of the force that pressed on the panel,
wherein
the specifying the at least one candidate cell includes specifying, as the at least one candidate cell, a plurality of pressed cells that are included in the adjacency group, in a case where the pressing force magnitude for the plurality of pressed cells included in the adjacency group satisfy a specified condition.
6. The panel control device according to
the specifying the designation coordinates includes specifying, as the designation coordinates, the cell coordinates that indicates a position within the pressed cell for which the pressing force magnitude is the greatest among the at least one candidate cell.
7. The panel control device according to
the specifying the designation coordinates includes specifying, as the designation coordinates, mean value coordinates whose values are the averages of the plurality of cell coordinates that indicate positions within the at least one candidate cell within the adjacency group.
8. The panel control device according to
the specifying the designation coordinates includes
specifying a change tendency of a plurality of positions within the at least one candidate cell, from among a plurality of positions that are indicated by the plurality of cell coordinates, and
specifying the designation coordinates based on the cell coordinates that indicate a plurality of positions for which the change tendency satisfies a specified condition.
|
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-211749, filed Sep. 26, 2012, the content of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a panel control device that may control a touch panel on which writing may be performed by pressing on a panel face with a stylus, a fingertip, or the like, as well as to a panel control method and a non-transitory computer-readable medium.
A touch panel is known on which writing can be performed by pressing on a panel face with a stylus, a fingertip, or the like (hereinafter referred to as the input portion). With this sort of touch panel, there are cases in which, in the course of the writing by the input portion, the panel face is pressed by something other than the input portion, such as the palm of a hand, a knuckle, an arm, a wristwatch, an item of clothing, or the like. In this sort of case, it is necessary to distinguish between an area that has been pressed by the input portion and an area that has been pressed by something other than the input portion.
A technology has been disclosed that distinguishes between an area pressed by a fingertip and an area pressed by a portion of the palm of a hand, according to the surface area of the pressed area, for example. With this technology, in a case where the surface area of the pressed area is small, a determination is made that the pressed area has been pressed by a fingertip. In contrast, in a case where the surface area of the pressed area is large, a determination is made that the pressed area has been pressed by a portion of the palm of a hand.
The surface area of an area pressed by something other than the input portion is not limited to always being larger than the surface area of an area pressed by the input portion. Therefore, there are cases in which an area pressed by the input portion and an area pressed by something other than the input portion cannot be clearly distinguished from one another, even in a case where the technology described above is applied.
Embodiments of the broad principles derived herein provide a panel control device that can distinguish between and recognize an area pressed by the input portion and an area pressed by something other than the input portion, and the embodiments also provide a panel control method and a non-transitory computer-readable medium.
Various embodiments provide a panel control device includes a processor. The processor is configured to perform processes including acquiring a plurality of pressed cells and a plurality of cell coordinates, the plurality of pressed cells being a plurality of cells, among pluralities of cells that divide a panel into a plurality of regions, to which pressing forces are applied simultaneously, and each of the plurality of cell coordinates being coordinate information that indicates a position within one of the pressed cells to which the pressing forces have been applied, specifying, as at least one candidate cell, at least one of the plurality of pressed cells based on positional relationships among the plurality of cell coordinates included in an adjacency group, the adjacency group being a plurality of pressed cells that are adjacent to one another, and specifying designation coordinates based on cell coordinates, among the plurality of cell coordinates, that indicates a position within the at least one candidate cell, the designation coordinates being coordinate information that indicate a position on the panel designated by being pressed by a user.
Embodiments also provide a panel control method including acquiring a plurality of pressed cells and a plurality of cell coordinates, the plurality of pressed cells being a plurality of cells, among pluralities of cells that divide a panel into a plurality of regions, to which pressing forces are applied simultaneously, and each of the plurality of cell coordinates being coordinate information that indicates a position within one of the pressed cells to which the pressing forces have been applied, specifying, as at least one candidate cell, at least one of the plurality of pressed cells based on positional relationships among the plurality of cell coordinates included in an adjacency group, the adjacency group being a plurality of pressed cells that are adjacent to one another, and specifying designation coordinates based on cell coordinates, among the plurality of cell coordinates, that indicates a position within the at least one candidate cell, the designation coordinates being coordinate information that indicate a position on the panel designated by being pressed by a user.
Embodiments further provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that cause a device to perform the steps of acquiring a plurality of pressed cells and a plurality of cell coordinates, the plurality of pressed cells being a plurality of cells, among pluralities of cells that divide a panel into a plurality of regions, to which pressing forces are applied simultaneously, and each of the plurality of cell coordinates being coordinate information that indicates a position within one of the pressed cells to which the pressing forces have been applied, specifying, as at least one candidate cell, at least one of the plurality of pressed cells based on positional relationships among the plurality of cell coordinates included in an adjacency group, the adjacency group being a plurality of pressed cells that are adjacent to one another, and specifying designation coordinates based on cell coordinates, among the plurality of cell coordinates, that indicates a position within the at least one candidate cell, the designation coordinates being coordinate information that indicate a position on the panel designated by being pressed by a user.
Embodiments will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to the drawings. A handwriting input system 1 will be explained with reference to
The electronic writing device 20 includes a recessed receptacle portion 4 on a top face of the electronic writing device 20. A touch panel 19 is provided on a bottom face of the receptacle portion 4. The shape of the touch panel 19 is approximately rectangular. The touch panel 19 may be operated by a resistance film system. In a case where, in conjunction with a writing operation by the writing instrument 2, the touch panel 19 is pressed by the tip of the writing instrument 2, the pressed position is specified. Information that indicates the specified position is transmitted from the electronic writing device 20 to the PC 10 through the communications cable 3.
A user places a paper medium 70, for example, on the touch panel 19 of the electronic writing device 20. The user may write on the paper medium 70 by using the writing instrument 2 (a ballpoint pen, a mechanical pencil, or the like). A line drawing is drawn on the paper medium 70. At the same time, a pressing force is applied to the touch panel 19 by the writing operation of the writing instrument 2. Information that indicates the pressed position is transmitted from the electronic writing device 20 to the PC 10. The PC 10 specifies the handwriting based on the information that is received from the electronic writing device 20. The specified handwriting is output to an output portion 16 (a display) of the PC 10. Through the output portion 16, the user can check the handwriting by the writing instrument 2 at the same time that the user may use the writing instrument 2 to draw the line drawing on the paper medium 70.
The device that is connected to the electronic writing device 20 can be changed. For example, the electronic writing device 20 may also be connected to a mobile telephone, a smart phone, a tablet PC, or the like. The electronic writing device 20 and the PC 10 may also be connected through a network such as the Internet or the like, and they may also be connected wirelessly. The writing instrument 2 that performs the writing on the electronic writing device 20 may also be a dedicated stylus or a finger.
Electrical configurations of the PC 10 and the electronic writing device 20 will be explained with reference to
The programs stored in the HDD 14 may also be acquired through a network (the Internet or the like) that is connected to a communications driver that is not shown in the drawings. The CPU 11 may also store programs received through the network in the HDD 14.
The electronic writing device 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a flash memory 24, and the touch panel 19. The CPU 21 is configured to perform control of the entire electronic writing device 20. A boot program and initial data are stored in the ROM 22. Temporary data may be stored in the RAM 23. Programs for the CPU 21 may be stored in the flash memory 24. The touch panel 19 includes a conductive sheet 40, a voltage application portion 38, a voltage detection portion 39, and a plurality of pressure sensors 51.
The structure of the conductive sheet 40 will be explained with reference to
The first conductive layer 41 includes a plurality of resistance films 411. The resistance films 411 are transparent. The shape of each of the resistance films 411 is approximately rectangular, and the length of the long side of each of the resistance films 411 is the same as the length of the short side of the first conductive layer 41. The length of the short side of each of the resistance films 411 is shorter than the length of the long side of the first conductive layer 41 and is substantially greater than the diameter of the tip of the writing instrument 2 (refer to
The second conductive layer 42 includes a plurality of resistance films 421. The resistance films 421 are transparent. The shape of each of the resistance films 421 is approximately rectangular, and the length of the long side of each of the resistance films 421 is the same as the length of the long side of the second conductive layer 42. The length of the short side of each of the resistance films 421 is shorter than the length of the short side of the second conductive layer 42 and is substantially greater than the diameter of the tip of the writing instrument 2. The Y axis direction corresponds to the direction of the long sides of the second conductive layer 42 and the resistance films 421. The X axis direction corresponds to the direction of the short sides of the second conductive layer 42 and the resistance films 421. The direction in which the resistance films 421 are arrayed is parallel to the short side of the second conductive layer 42, that is, is the X axis direction. Gaps 423 are provided in the boundary regions between the adjacent resistance films 421. The space that is occupied by each of the gaps 423 is extremely small in comparison to the length of the short side of each of the resistance films 421. Electrodes 422 are provided at both ends in the Y axis direction of each of the resistance films 421. The voltage application portion 38 and the voltage detection portion 39 (refer to
Hereinafter, the regions where the resistance films 411 of the first conductive layer 41 and the resistance films 421 of the second conductive layer 42 intersect will be referred to as cells. The cells are formed by using a plurality of straight lines that extend in the X axis direction and the Y axis direction to divide the touch panel 19 into a plurality of regions.
The touch panel 19 includes one of the pressure sensors 51 in each of the cells. The pressure sensor 51 is configured to detect the pressure at which the conductive sheet 40 is pressed. Hereinafter, the pressure at which the conductive sheet 40 is pressed will be referred to as the pressing force. The pressure sensors 51 are piezoresistance-type semiconductor pressure sensors. Note that the present disclosure may also use pressure sensors 51 that operate by a different operating method.
As shown in
The state of the touch panel 19 in a case where the pressing force is applied to the touch panel 19 will be explained with reference to
The voltages from the voltage application portion 38 (refer to
The CPU 21 specifies, as the cells that have been pressed, the cells in the area where the resistance film 4111 in which the electrodes 412 whose voltages varied are provided intersects the resistance films 4211, 4212 in which the electrodes 422 whose voltages varied are provided. The electrodes 412, 422 are respectively provided in the resistance films 411, 421 that make up the cells, so in a case where a plurality of points on the touch panel 19 are pressed at the same time, the CPU 21 is able to specify simultaneously the plurality of cells that have been pressed. Hereinafter, the cells that have been pressed will be referred to as the pressed cells. Through the pressure sensors 51, the CPU 21 is also able to specify, for each of the pressed cells, the force (hereinafter referred to as the pressing force) applied to the pressed cell.
Based on the voltages between the electrodes that are detected by the voltage detection portion 39, the CPU 21 is able to specify coordinate information that indicates the pressed positions within each of the pressed cells. In a case where a plurality of points on the touch panel 19 are pressed at the same time, the CPU 21 is able to specify simultaneously the coordinate information that indicates the pressed positions in each of the pressed cells, in the same manner as the CPU 21 specifies the plurality of pressed cells. Hereinafter, the coordinate information that indicates the pressed position will be referred to as the cell coordinates. In a case where the touch panel 19 is pressed, the CPU 21 specifies the cell coordinates, the pressed cell that includes the cell coordinates, and the pressing force applied to the pressed cell.
A case in which a region 47 that includes boundary regions of four cells 611 to 614 that are disposed adjacent to one another has been pressed by the writing instrument 2, as shown in
Hereinafter, the cell coordinates (for example, the cell coordinates 471 to 474) that are specified by the pressing of the touch panel 19 by the writing instrument 2 will be referred to as the writing coordinates. The pressed cells (for example, the cells 611 to 614) that include the writing coordinates will be referred to as the writing cells. As shown in
The example shown in
In a state in which the touch panel 19 has been pressed, the CPU 21 of the electronic writing device 20 specifies the pressed cells, the cell coordinates, and the pressing forces applied to the pressed cells cyclically at specified time intervals (for example, 10 milliseconds). The CPU 21 outputs to the PC 10 a notification signal that provides notification that the touch panel 19 is pressed. In a case where the CPU 11 of the PC 10 detected the notification signal that was output from the electronic writing device 20, the CPU 11 may output to the electronic writing device 20 request signals that request the transmission of the pressed cells, the cell coordinates, and the pressing forces. The PC 10 outputs separate request signals for the pressed cells, the cell coordinates, and the pressing forces. In a case where the CPU 21 of the electronic writing device 20 detected the request signals that were output from the PC 10, the CPU 21 transmits the pressed cells, the cell coordinates, and the pressing forces to the PC 10. For as long as CPU 21 detects the request signals, the CPU 21 transmits the pressed cells, the cell coordinates, and the pressing forces cyclically at specified time intervals. In a case where the CPU 11 of the PC 10 has received the pressed cells, the cell coordinates, and the pressing forces from the electronic writing device 20, the CPU 11 stores the pressed cells, the cell coordinates, and the pressing forces in the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
The CPU 21 may also output the notification signal to the PC 10 immediately after the touch panel 19 is pressed. After the touch panel 19 is pressed, the CPU 21 may also store the pressed cells, the cell coordinates, and the pressing forces for a specified time period in the RAM 23, then output the notification signal to the PC 10.
For example, in the pressed cell table 141, the pressed cells (2, 3), (2, 4), (3, 3), and (3, 4), which were received from the electronic writing device 20 in cycle 0 (time information 0 (seconds)), are respectively shown as the pressed cell (2, 3), the pressed cell (2, 4), the pressed cell (3, 3), and the pressed cell (3, 4). The pressed cell (2, 3) is the cell located two cells to the right in the X axis direction and three cells downward in the Y axis direction from the reference cell in
A case in which the user holds the writing instrument 2 (refer to
The main processing performed by the CPU 11 will be explained with reference to
As shown in
The process by which the CPU 11 stores the time information in the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
As shown in
The pressed cells (2, 3), (2, 4), (3, 3), and (3, 4) are pressed by the writing instrument 2. The writing instrument 2 presses the boundary regions of the cells 611 to 614 (refer to
As shown in
The method for specifying the extent of separation by applying the separation template 142 will be explained with reference to
The CPU 11 specifies the positional relationship of the pair of the pressed cells based on the separation template 142. In a case where one of the pair of the pressed cells is located in the center position in the separation template 142, the CPU 11 specifies as the separation distance for the pair of the pressed cells the numerical value that corresponds to the position of the other one of the pair of the pressed cells. For example, the positional relationship of the pressed cell (2, 4) to the pressed cell (2, 3), the positional relationship of the pressed cell (3, 3) to the pressed cell (2, 3), and the positional relationship of the pressed cell (3, 4) to the pressed cell (2, 3) respectively correspond, in the separation template 142, to a value 81 (O) and a value 82 (the separation distance 1), the value 81 (O) and a value 83 (the separation distance 1), and the value 81 (O) and a value 84 (the separation distance 1). Therefore, the separation distances of the pressed cells (2, 4), (3, 3), and (3, 4) in relation to the pressed cell (2, 3) are each 1. Thus the CPU 11 is able to easily specify the extents of separation between the pairs of the pressed cells by specifying the separation distances based on the separation template 142.
As shown in
As shown in
For example, in the case of the separation table 131 in
The reason for identifying as the writing cell candidates the pressed cells with which the numerical value 2 is not associated as the separation distance will now be explained. The diameter of the tip of the writing instrument 2 is substantially smaller than one side of one of the cells. In a case where the writing instrument 2 presses on an area where the sides of two of the cells abut one another, the two cells are specified as the pressed cells at the same time. In a case where the writing instrument 2 presses on an area where the corners of four of the cells abut one another, the four cells are specified as the pressed cells at the same time. Therefore, in a case where the touch panel 19 is pressed using the writing instrument 2, the number of the adjacently disposed pressed cells that may possibly be specified at the same time by the CPU 21 of the electronic writing device 20 is one of 1, 2, and 4.
There are many cases in which the palm of the hand 60 or the like is substantially larger than one side of one of the cells. Therefore, in a case where the touch panel 19 is pressed by the palm of the hand 60 or the like during the writing operation by the writing instrument 2, the number of the adjacently disposed pressed cells that may possibly be specified at the same time by the CPU 21 will be greater than 4 in many cases.
In a case where two of the pressed cells are disposed adjacent to one another and the separation distance is specified based on the separation template 142 (refer to
As shown in
From among the minimum separation distances in the separation table 131 selected at Step S63, the CPU 11 selects the greatest minimum separation distances. The CPU 11 specifies the pressed cells that correspond to the selected minimum separation distances (Step S65). The CPU 11 changes from “O” to “X” the flag information that corresponds to the pressed cells with which “O” is associated as the flag information in the separation table 131, except for the pressed cells specified at Step S65. The CPU 11 also adds “(1st)” to the flag information in the pressed cell table 141 as information indicating that the flag information was changed from “O” to “X” by the first specification processing. Thus the CPU 11 specifies as the writing cell candidates in the separation table 131 only the pressed cells specified at Step S65 (Step S67). In the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
In the case of the separation table 131 in
In many cases, the positions of the pressed cells pressed by the writing instrument 2 are separated by sizeable distances from the positions of pressed cells pressed by the palm of the hand 60 or the like that holds the writing instrument 2. For example, in
As described above, in the first specification processing, the pressed cells possibly pressed by the writing instrument 2 are recognized and distinguished from the pressed cells pressed by something other than the writing instrument 2 by the selecting of the writing cell candidates based on the separation distances. In the first specification processing, based on the separation distances, the writing cell candidates are identified among the plurality of pressed cells that were acquired from the electronic writing device 20. The first specification processing limits the number of the pressed cells that are eligible for the processing that ultimately sets the designation coordinates. The processing burden on the CPU 11, which will perform second specification processing to sixth specification processing, which will be described later, is therefore reduced.
As shown in
The second specification processing will be explained with reference to
The CPU 11 selects one of the adjacency groups. A case in which the adjacency group 61 is selected will be used as an example. The CPU 11 specifies an effective range as hereinafter explained. As shown in
As shown in
In
The reason for excluding from the writing cell candidates the pressed cells that include the cell coordinates that are outside of the effective range 616 will now be explained. In a case where the touch panel 19 is pressed using the writing instrument 2, and a plurality of pressed cells that are adjacent to one another are specified by the electronic writing device 20, the writing instrument 2 is deemed to have pressed a boundary region among the pressed cells. Therefore, there is a strong possibility that the cell coordinates included within the specified pressed cells are disposed in the vicinity of the boundary region. In contrast, in a case where the touch panel 19 is pressed by the palm of the hand 60 or the like of the user (refer to
As shown in
In a case where all of the distances d1 to d4 between the cell coordinates are greater than the relative threshold value (NO at Step S85), the CPU 11 changes from “O” to “X” the flag information in the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
A case will be explained in which the distances d1 to d3 are not greater than the relative threshold value, but the distance d4 is greater than the relative threshold value. In this case, one of the pair of the cell coordinates 473, 474 for calculating the distance d4 (refer to
As shown in
A case in which the adjacency group 65 is selected and the processing at Steps S77 to S91 is performed will be used as an example. The pressed cells (6, 18) and (6, 19) are disposed such that the bottom side of the pressed cell (6, 18) is close to the top side of the pressed cell (6, 19). The CPU 11 specifies the effective range as hereinafter described. The CPU 11 defines as a first reference point 653 a point in a central portion of the adjacent sides of the adjacency group 65 (the pressed cells (6, 18) and (6, 19)), as shown in
The CPU 11 calculates the distance between the cell coordinates 476 and 477 (Step S83). In a case where the calculated distance is not greater than the relative threshold value (YES at Step S85), the CPU 11 does not change to “X” the flag information in the pressed cell table 141 that corresponds to the pressed cells (6, 18) and (6, 19), which include the cell coordinates 476 and 477 (Step S87). In a case where the calculated distance is greater than the relative threshold value (NO at Step S85), the CPU 11 changes from “O” to “X” the flag information in the pressed cell table 141 that corresponds to the pressed cells (6, 18) and (6, 19), which include the cell coordinates 476 and 477, adding “2nd” to the flag information (Step S89).
As shown in
The CPU 11 compares the pressing forces within each of the adjacency groups 61, 62, 64, 65. For each of the adjacency groups 61, 62, 64, 65, the CPU 11 specifies the pressed cell associated with the greatest pressing force within the adjacency group. The CPU 11 stores the specified pressed cells and the associated pressing forces in the pressing force table 132 (refer to
As described previously, in the electronic writing device 20, cases occur in which the position that the user has designated by using the writing instrument 2 to press on the touch panel 19 straddles a plurality of cells. In those cases, the electronic writing device 20 detects a plurality of pressed cells that are adjacent to one another. It is therefore difficult to distinguish between a plurality of pressed cells designated using the writing instrument 2 and a plurality of pressed cells detected in a case where the user has pressed the touch panel 19 with the palm of the hand 60 or the like.
The positional relationships among the plurality of cell coordinates included in a plurality of pressed cells detected by the electronic writing device 20 exhibit different tendencies in a case where the user has used the writing instrument 2 to press the touch panel 19 from a case in which the user has pressed the touch panel 19 with the palm of the hand 60 or the like. Specifically, in a case where the touch panel 19 is pressed by the writing instrument 2, the cell coordinates are close to the first reference point. In a case where the touch panel 19 is pressed by the palm of the hand 60 or the like, the cell coordinates are relatively distant from the first reference point. The PC 10 determines whether the cell coordinates are valid, based on the positional relationships among the cell coordinates included in the plurality of pressed cells. In this manner, the PC 10 recognizes and distinguishes between a position that the user has designated by using the writing instrument 2 to press on the touch panel 19 and a position pressed by the palm of the hand 60 or the like, such that the PC 10 is able to specify the designation coordinates.
Specifically, in the second specification processing, in a case where the distance from the first reference point 615, which is set on the boundary between the cells, to a position indicated by the cell coordinates is not greater than the reference threshold value, the CPU 11 determines that the position that the cell coordinates indicate has been pressed by the writing instrument 2. In a case where the distance from the first reference point 615 to a position indicated by the cell coordinates is greater than the reference threshold value, the CPU 11 determines that the position that the cell coordinates indicate has not been pressed by the writing instrument 2. In a case where the distances between the cell coordinates included in the pressed cells are not greater than the relative threshold value, the CPU 11 determines that the position that the cell coordinates indicate has been pressed by the writing instrument 2. In a case where the distances between the cell coordinates are greater than the relative threshold value, the CPU 11 determines that the position that the cell coordinates indicate has not been pressed by the writing instrument 2. The reason for these determinations is that, in a case where a plurality of cells have been pressed by the writing instrument 2 at the same time, the pressed area is positioned close to the boundary between the cells, so the cell coordinates that are specified within the cells also indicate positions that are close to the boundary. By determining as described above, the CPU 11 is able to specify the writing cell candidates appropriately.
As shown in
In a case where the selected pressing force is greater than the pressing force threshold value (NO at Step S101), the CPU 11 specifies the adjacency group in the pressing force table 132 that corresponds to the pressing force that is greater than the pressing force threshold value. In the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
At Step S103, the reason for excluding from the writing cell candidates all of the pressed cells included in the adjacency group that includes the pressed cell associated with the pressing force that is greater than the pressing force threshold value will now be explained. In many cases, the pressing force when the writing instrument 2 is used to press on the touch panel 19 is not greater than a specified magnitude (the pressing force threshold value). In a case where the pressing force is greater than the pressing force threshold value, the pressing force is too great. Therefore, there is a strong possibility that the touch panel 19 has not been pressed by the writing instrument 2. Therefore, the CPU 11 excludes from the writing cell candidates the pressed cell associated with the pressing force that is greater than the pressing force threshold value. There is also deemed to be a strong possibility that the other pressed cells included in the adjacency group that includes the excluded pressed cell have not been pressed by the writing instrument 2. Therefore, the CPU 11 excludes from the writing cell candidates the other pressed cells included in the adjacency group. In a case where the pressing force selected from the pressing force table 132 (refer to
From among the adjacency groups that include the pressed cells with which “O” is associated as the flag information in the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
This will be explained using a specific example. The example that will be used is a case in which “O” has been stored in the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
The specific method for specifying the adjacency groups disposed relatively toward the upper side will now be explained. For each of the adjacency groups, the CPU 11 specifies the pressed cells with which “O” is associated as the flag information, among the pressed cells included in the adjacency group. From among the specified pressed cells, the CPU 11 identifies the pressed cells disposed the farthest toward the lower side within each of the adjacency groups, then compares the pressed cells identified in each of the adjacency groups. Based on the result of the comparing, the CPU 11 specifies, as the adjacency groups that are disposed relatively toward the upper side, the adjacency groups that include the pressed cells disposed the farthest toward the upper side.
The reason for excluding from the writing cell candidates all of the pressed cells except the pressed cells included in the adjacency groups whose positions on the touch panel 19 are disposed relatively toward the upper side will now be explained. In a case where the writing instrument 2 is used to perform the writing operation on the touch panel 19, in many cases the writing instrument 2 is disposed to the upper side in relation to the hand 60. Therefore, the possibility is strong that the pressed cells located on the upper side in relation to the other pressed cells are pressed by the writing instrument 2. There is little possibility that the pressed cells located on the lower side in relation to the other pressed cells are pressed by the writing instrument 2.
In the case in
As described above, in the third specification processing, in a case where the pressing forces that correspond to all of the plurality of pressed cells within the adjacency group are not greater than the pressing force threshold value, the CPU 11 specifies that the pressed cells within the adjacency group are cells that have been pressed by the writing instrument 2. The reason for this is that in a case where the touch panel 19 has been pressed by the writing instrument 2, there is a strong possibility that the pressing force is not greater than the pressing force threshold value. The CPU 11 is thus able to specify more appropriately the position pressed by the writing instrument 2.
As shown in
In a case where the notification signal is being continuously output from the electronic writing device 20, the CPU 11 determines that the writing operation for one stroke series has not been completed and is continuing (NO at Step S25). In a case where the notification signal is being continuously output, the CPU 11 performs the fourth specification processing (refer to
The fourth specification processing will be explained. In the fourth specification processing, in a case where one of the pressed cells acquired from the electronic writing device 20 in the current cycle is excluded from the writing cell candidates in the first specification processing (refer to
For example, in the cycle 401, the palm of the hand 60 or the like slightly contacts with the touch panel 19, and the touch panel 19 is pressed by only a part of the palm or the like. Therefore, only the one pressed cell 81 is specified by the electronic writing device 20. In the cycle 402, after 10 milliseconds have elapsed since the cycle 401, the distance between the touch panel 19 and the palm of the hand 60 or the like has become shorter than the distance in the cycle 401. A larger part of the palm of the hand 60 or the like presses on the touch panel 19. Therefore, the two cells in the pressed cell group 82 are specified. In the cycle 403, after 10 milliseconds have elapsed since the cycle 402, the four cells in the pressed cell group 83 are specified, a still larger number than in the pressed cell group 82. In the cycle 404, after 10 milliseconds have elapsed since the cycle 403, the even more numerous eight cells in the pressed cell group 84 are specified.
At Step S59 in the first specification processing (refer to
The CPU 11 excludes the pressed cell 81, the cells of the pressed cell group 82, and the cells of the pressed cell group 831 from the writing cell candidates as will be described. A case in which the cells of the pressed cell group 84 are acquired from the electronic writing device 20 in the cycle 404 and are excluded from the writing cell candidates by the first specification processing will be used as an example. From among the pressed cell 81 and the cells of the pressed cell groups 82 and 83, which are acquired from the electronic writing device 20 in the cycles 401 to 403, the CPU 11 excludes from the writing cell candidates the pressed cells that are in the same positions as the cells of the pressed cell group 84 excluded from the writing cell candidates. Note that the cells of the pressed cell group 832 were excluded from the writing cell candidates by the first specification processing in an earlier cycle. Therefore, the pressed cell 81 acquired in the cycle 401, the cells of the pressed cell group 82 acquired in the cycle 402, and the cells of the pressed cell group 831 acquired in the cycle 403 are actually excluded from the writing cell candidates. The CPU 11 is thus able to exclude from the writing cell candidates the pressed cells acquired in earlier cycles, but that were not excluded from the writing cell candidates by the first specification processing.
The fourth specification processing will be explained according to the flowchart, with reference to
In a case where there are the pressed cells excluded from the writing cell candidates by the first specification processing in the current cycle (YES at Step S120), the CPU 11 specifies the pressed cells in the pressed cell table 141 with which “X (1st)” is associated as the flag information (Step S121). The pressed cells excluded from the writing cell candidates by the first specification processing are specifically the pressed cells, among the pressed cells stored in the pressed cell table 141, with which “X (1st)” is associated as the flag information. The CPU 11 determines whether the pressed cells acquired from the electronic writing device 20 in an earlier cycle are stored in the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
As described above, in the fourth specification processing, among the pressed cells acquired in an earlier cycle, the pressed cells that are in the same positions as the pressed cells excluded from the writing cell candidates by the first specification processing in the current cycle can be excluded. By performing the first specification processing in every cycle, the CPU 11 can exclude from the writing cell candidates the pressed cells specified as the writing cell candidates in an earlier cycle, in a case where the pressed cells excluded from the writing cell candidates in the current cycle are in the same positions as the pressed cells specified as the writing cell candidates in an earlier cycle. The CPU 11 is therefore able to specify the writing cell candidates more accurately.
The fifth specification processing will be explained. In the fifth specification processing, the CPU 11 identifies, among the pressed cells acquired in all of the cycles, the pressed cells that are in the same positions included in an area cell group (described later), then excludes the identified pressed cells from the writing cell candidates. The area cell group will be described in detail later. The area cell group is a group of the cells, among the pressed cells acquired by the electronic writing device 20, that includes the pressed cells excluded from the writing cell candidates at Step S103 of the third specification processing (refer to
In a case where the touch panel 19 is pressed by a strong pressing force, the first conductive layer 41 and the second conductive layer 42 do not come into contact in the other pressed cells that are adjacent to the pressed cells pressed by the strong pressing force. However, the space between the first conductive layer 41 and the second conductive layer 42 is smaller than a case in which the pressing force is not applied to the touch panel 19. In the same manner, under the influence of the strong pressing force, the space between the first conductive layer 41 and the second conductive layer 42 is smaller in the cells disposed around the adjacency group that is made up of the pressed cells pressed by the strong pressing force and the other pressed cells that are adjacent to the pressed cells pressed by the strong pressing force. In a case where the space between the first conductive layer 41 and the second conductive layer 42 is small, the cells are in an unstable state, because the first conductive layer 41 and the second conductive layer 42 can easily come into contact, and the cells where the first conductive layer 41 and the second conductive layer 42 come into contact can easily be specified as the pressed cells. Therefore, there is a possibility that the cells where the space between the first conductive layer 41 and the second conductive layer 42 is small are specified as the writing cell candidates. It is therefore desirable to exclude the cells where the space between the first conductive layer 41 and the second conductive layer 42 is small from the writing cell candidates.
The CPU 11 excludes from the writing cell candidates the cells disposed such that the cells encompass the area around the adjacency group that includes the pressed cells pressed by the strong pressing force. After the writing operation for one stroke series is completed, the CPU 11 determines whether an adjacency group that includes a pressed cell where the pressing force is greater than the pressing force threshold value is stored in the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
A case in which the pressed cells acquired in the cycle 403 form an adjacency group 91 and the pressing force that corresponds to at least one of pressed cells included in the adjacency group 91 is greater than the pressing force threshold value will be used as an example. In this case, all of the cells in a pressed cell group 90 included in the adjacency group 91 have been excluded from the writing cell candidates by the third specification processing (refer to
The CPU 11 specifies a cell group 99 that includes the pressed cell group 90 included in the adjacency group 91, as well as the cells that are disposed such that the cells encompass the area around the adjacency group 91. Hereinafter, the pressed cells included in an adjacency group, together with the group of cells that includes the cells that are disposed such that the cells encompass the area around the adjacency group, will collectively be referred to as the area cell group. From among pressed cells 92 to 94 (in the cycle 401), a pressed cell group 95 and pressed cells 96 and 97 (in the cycle 402), and a pressed cell group 98 (in the cycle 404), all of which are stored in the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
The fifth specification processing will be explained according to the flowchart, with reference to
In a case where at least one of the pressed cells excluded from the writing cell candidates by the third specification processing is included among the pressed cells identified at Step S127 (YES at Step S129), the CPU 11 specifies the adjacency group that includes the at least one of the pressed cells excluded from the writing cell candidates by Step S103 of the third specification processing (Step S131). The adjacency group is specified based on a correspondence relationship between the at least one pressed cell and one of the adjacency groups stored in the pressing force table 132 (refer to
The CPU 11 determines whether at least one of the pressed cells stored in the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
The CPU 11 determines whether all of the pressed cells stored in the pressed cell table 141 for each cycle have been identified at Step S127 (Step S139). In a case where there remains in the pressed cell table 141 a pressed cell that has not been identified for a cycle at Step S127 (NO at Step S139), the processing returns to Step S127, in order for the processing at Steps S127 to S137 to be performed for the pressed cells for a different cycle. In a case where the pressed cells stored in the pressed cell table 141 for all of the cycles have been identified at step S127 (YES at Step S139), the fifth specification processing is terminated, and the processing returns to the main processing (refer to
Thus, in the fifth specification processing, it is possible to prevent the pressed cells that are in the same positions as the cells in the area cell group from becoming the writing cell candidates. Because the CPU 11 is able to prevent the cells that are in an unstable state in which the first conductive layer 41 and the second conductive layer 42 can easily come into contact from becoming the writing cell candidates, the writing cell candidates can be specified in a stable manner.
As shown in
A concrete explanation will be provided, using as an example a case in which the adjacency groups 61 to 65 (refer to
The sixth specification processing will be explained with reference to
As shown in
The CPU 11 initializes variables CNT, Ar, Xmin, Ymin, Xmax, Ymax that are stored in the RAM 13 by setting each of the variables to zero (Step S153). By comparing the variable CNT to a value N+1 that is calculated by adding 1 to a value N, the CPU 11 determines whether the processing has been performed for all of the cell coordinates stored in the history table 133 (refer to
The CPU 11 compares the identified cell coordinate X(CNT) to a maximum value Xmax (Step S163). In a case where the cell coordinate X(CNT) is greater than the maximum value Xmax (YES at Step S163), the CPU 11 updates the maximum value Xmax by setting the maximum value Xmax to the value of the cell coordinate X(CNT) (Step S165). The processing advances to Step S167. In a case where the maximum value Xmax is not less than the cell coordinate X(CNT) (NO at Step S163), the processing advances to Step S167.
The CPU 11 compares the identified cell coordinate Y(CNT) to a minimum value Ymin (Step S167). In a case where the cell coordinate Y(CNT) is less than the minimum value Ymin (YES at Step S167), the CPU 11 updates the minimum value Ymin by setting the minimum value Ymin to the value of the cell coordinate Y(CNT) (Step S169). The processing advances to Step S171. In a case where the minimum value Ymin is not greater than the cell coordinate Y(CNT) (NO at Step S167), the processing advances to Step S171.
The CPU 11 compares the identified cell coordinate Y(CNT) to a maximum value Ymax (Step S171). In a case where the cell coordinate Y(CNT) is greater than the maximum value Ymax (YES at Step S171), the CPU 11 updates the maximum value Ymax by setting the maximum value Ymax to the value of the cell coordinate Y(CNT) (Step S173). The processing advances to Step S174. In a case where the maximum value Ymax is not less than the cell coordinate Y(CNT) (NO at Step S171), the processing advances to Step S174. At Step S174, the CPU 11 updates the variable CNT by adding 1 to the variable CNT (Step S174). The processing returns to Step S157.
The processing at Steps S159 to S174 is repeated based on the updated variable CNT. In a case where the variable CNT is not less than the value N+1 (NO at Step S157), the processing at Steps S159 to S174 is deemed to have been performed for all of the cell coordinates that are stored in the history table 133. Using the minimum values (Xmin, Ymin) and the maximum values (Xmax, Ymax), the CPU 11 defines a quadrilateral that has (Xmin, Ymin), (Xmax, Ymin), (Xmax, Ymax), and (Xmin, Ymax) as the coordinates of the corners. The defined quadrilateral is equivalent to a quadrilateral that encompasses all of the positions indicated by the cell coordinates included in the history table 133. Based on the formula below, the CPU 11 calculates an area Ar of the quadrilateral for which (Xmin, Ymin), (Xmax, Ymin), (Xmax, Ymax), and (Xmin, Ymax) are defined as the coordinates of the corners (Step S175).
Ar=(Xmax−Xmin)×(Ymax−Ymin)
The CPU 11 determines whether the continuous time Tc calculated at Step S151 is greater than a specified time threshold value (Step S177). In many cases, a fixed length of time is required in order to perform the writing operation for one stroke series. Therefore, in a case where the continuous time Tc is not greater than the time threshold value, there is a strong possibility that the pressed cells included in the adjacency group 61 were not detected due to the user's performing of a pressing operation using the writing instrument 2. In a case where the continuous time Tc is not greater than the time threshold value (NO at Step S177), among all of the pressed cells stored in the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
In a case where the continuous time Tc calculated at Step S151 is greater than the time threshold value (YES at Step S177), the CPU 11 determines whether the area Ar calculated at Step S175 is greater than a specified area threshold value (Step S179). The range of movement of the knuckles of the index finger of the hand 60 is assumed to be smaller than the range of movement of the writing instrument 2. In a case where the area Ar is less than the area threshold value, the coordinates are deemed not to have moved by a large amount. In a case where the area is not greater than the area threshold value (NO at Step S179), among all of the pressed cells stored in the pressed cell table 141, the CPU 11 changes from “O” to “X” the flag information that is associated with the pressed cells (2, 3), (2, 4), (3, 3), and (3, 4) in the adjacency group 61 stored in the history table 133. The CPU 11 also adds “(6th)” to the flag information as information that indicates that the flag information was changed from “O” to “X” by the sixth specification processing (Step S183). The processing advances to Step 185.
In a case where the area Ar calculated at Step S175 is greater than the area threshold value (YES at Step S179), the cell coordinates are deemed to have moved through a region that is larger than a region with the area indicated by the area threshold value. In a case where the user uses the writing instrument 2 to draw a text character, a diagram, or the like on the touch panel 19, there is a strong tendency for the range of movement of the writing coordinates to become larger. Therefore, in the pressed cell table 141, the CPU 11 specifies as the writing coordinate candidates the cell coordinates that correspond to the pressed cells in the adjacency group 61 stored in the history table 133. The processing advances to Step S185.
The CPU 11 determines whether, among the adjacency groups of the pressed cells stored in association with the cycle 0, the processing described above has been performed for the adjacency group 62, for which the processing has not been performed (Step S185). At this point, the processing described above has not been performed for the adjacency group 62 (NO at Step S185), so the processing returns to Step S145. In a case where the processing has been performed for the adjacency groups of the pressed cells stored in association with the cycle 0, the CPU 11 determines whether the processing described above has been performed for all of the adjacency groups of the pressed cells stored in association with the cycles 1, 2, and the like that are different from the cycle 0. In a case where the processing described above has not been performed for even one of the adjacency groups of the pressed cells stored in association with the cycles 1, 2, and the like that are different from the cycle 0 (NO at Step S185), the processing returns to Step S145. In a case where the processing described above has been performed for all of the adjacency groups of the pressed cells acquired in the cycles 0, 1, and the like (YES at Step S185), the sixth specification processing is terminated, and the processing returns to the main processing (refer to
For example, as a result of the sixth specification processing for the adjacency groups 61 and 62, in a case where the area Ar calculated based on the pressed cells included in the adjacency group 62 is smaller than the area threshold value (NO at Step S179) and the area Ar calculated based on the pressed cells included in the adjacency group 61 is greater than the area threshold value (YES at Step S179), the cell coordinates that correspond to the pressed cells included in the adjacency group 62 are excluded from the writing coordinate candidates (Step S183). Accordingly, only the cell coordinates that correspond to the pressed cells included in the adjacency group 61 remain as the writing coordinate candidates. The cell coordinates that are the writing coordinate candidates at the point when the sixth specification processing is terminated will be used in processing for setting the designation coordinates, which will be described later.
As described above, in the sixth specification processing, the CPU 11, based on the writing cell candidates specified by the first specification processing to the fifth specification processing, specifies a change tendency in the area Ar of a region that encompasses a plurality of cell coordinates. Based on the specified change tendency, the CPU 11 distinguishes between the cell coordinates that indicate a position where the user has used the writing instrument 2 to press on the touch panel 19 and the cell coordinates that indicate a position where the user has used something other than the writing instrument 2 to press on the touch panel 19. The cell coordinates that indicate a position pressed by the writing instrument 2 are defined as the writing coordinate candidates. The CPU 11 is thus able to specify the writing coordinate candidates appropriately.
As shown in
This will now be explained in concrete terms. In the pressed cell table 141 (refer to
Thus, by defining the designation coordinates to be the mean value of cell coordinates that have been specified as the writing coordinate candidates, the CPU 11 is able to derive the designation coordinates appropriately from the plurality of cell coordinates. Moreover, the accuracy of the specified designation coordinates can be stabilized, even in a case where there is dispersion among the cell coordinates.
The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various types of modifications can be made. The writing operation on the touch panel 19 may also be performed using something other than the writing instrument 2. For example, the writing operation may also be performed using a finger (for example, the index finger).
The present disclosure can also be applied to a system that uses a known resistance film type of touch panel that has only one intersecting electrode. The present disclosure can also be applied to a system that uses another type of touch panel, such as a matrix switch type, a surface acoustic wave type, an infrared light type, an electromagnetic induction type, an electrostatic capacitance type, or the like, for example.
The present disclosure may also be modified such that the CPU 21 in the electronic writing device 20 specifies the designation coordinates by performing the same sort of processing as the CPU 11.
In the second specification processing (refer to
Given that the second reference point 621 has been defined as described above, in a case where the distance from the second reference point 621 to a position indicated by cell coordinates is short, there is a strong possibility that the position indicated by the cell coordinates has been pressed by the writing instrument 2, in the same manner as in the case that was previously explained with respect to the first reference point 615. In a case where the distance from the second reference point 621 to a position indicated by cell coordinates is long, there is a strong possibility that the position indicated by the cell coordinates has not been pressed by the writing instrument 2. The CPU 11 determines that the pressed cell that includes the cell coordinates whose distance from the second reference point 621 is short is a valid writing cell candidate. The CPU 11 is thus able to specify more appropriately the position pressed by the writing instrument 2.
In the second specification processing (refer to
At Step S33 in the main processing (refer to
As explained previously, the pressed cells pressed by the pressing forces that are greater than the pressing force threshold value have been excluded from the writing cell candidates (Step S103; refer to
In the sixth specification processing (refer to
In the embodiment described above, the pressing forces applied to the pressed cells are detected by the pressure sensors 51, but the pressing forces may also be detected by another method. For example, the CPU 11 may also determines the pressing forces for the individual pressed cells based on the way that the pressed cells are arrayed within the adjacency groups. As another example, the CPU 11 may also calculate a contact resistance for each of the pressed cells based on the voltage applied by the voltage application portion 38 and the voltage detected by the voltage detection portion 39, then multiply the contact resistance by a conversion coefficient and specify the result as the pressing force.
The apparatus and methods described above with reference to the various embodiments are merely examples. It goes without saying that they are not confined to the depicted embodiments. While various features have been described in conjunction with the examples outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, and/or improvements of those features and/or examples may be possible. Accordingly, the examples, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative. Various changes may be made without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the underlying principles.
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
Patent | Priority | Assignee | Title |
9081441, | Oct 09 2009 | Egalax—Empia Technology Inc. | Method and device for analyzing two-dimension sensing information |
20110291944, | |||
JP7306752, |
Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Sep 05 2013 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / |
Date | Maintenance Fee Events |
Date | Maintenance Schedule |
Mar 01 2019 | 4 years fee payment window open |
Sep 01 2019 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Mar 01 2020 | patent expiry (for year 4) |
Mar 01 2022 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 4) |
Mar 01 2023 | 8 years fee payment window open |
Sep 01 2023 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Mar 01 2024 | patent expiry (for year 8) |
Mar 01 2026 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 8) |
Mar 01 2027 | 12 years fee payment window open |
Sep 01 2027 | 6 months grace period start (w surcharge) |
Mar 01 2028 | patent expiry (for year 12) |
Mar 01 2030 | 2 years to revive unintentionally abandoned end. (for year 12) |