JPH04307618A - Information processing method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily and surely designate the desired information shown on a display screen. CONSTITUTION:When the part a of a pointer symbol is touched on a display device via a touch panel, it is decided that the information on the display position of the pointer symbol is selected and this selected information is processed. When the part B of the pointer symbol is touched, the display position of the pointer symbol is updated with a shift extent smaller than that of the touch position. Meanwhile the pointer symbol is moved according to the touch position while the part C of the pointer symbol is touched. When an area except the pointer symbol is touched, the pointer symbol is displayed again at the touch position.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing method and apparatus, such as an information processing method and apparatus for instructing information displayed on a display screen.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a device in which a transparent coordinate input device, a so-called touch panel, etc. is disposed in front of a display screen of a display device, and display contents are specified or selected with a finger.

[0003] On the device side, processing is performed based on the content displayed at the detected position.

By the way, the reading resolution of the coordinate input device in this type of device is high or can be made high. However, since this is specified with a human fingertip, in other words, the area that the fingertip touches is substantially larger than the detection resolution of the coordinate input device, so the resolution of the position that can be specified by the operator is this area. It's decided.

[0005] Furthermore, such devices are usually configured so that the position touched for the first time by the operator is determined as the input position. An example of this can be seen in bank automatic teller machines.

[0006]

In reality, it is difficult for an operator to accurately specify an area or point smaller than the area of the tip of the means used to indicate an input position. Therefore, the characters, symbols, images, etc. to be selected must have an area equal to or larger than the area of the tip of the input instruction means.

As a result, if we consider using a finger with a relatively large tip area as an input instruction means, it is easy to understand that the amount of information that can be displayed at one time on the display device will be reduced. Furthermore, it is understandable that if the size of characters, symbols, images, etc. is not particularly large, the position cannot be specified accurately, resulting in many erroneous inputs.

[0008]Furthermore, when performing certain specific processing, for example specifying a region, it is conceivable to use a tool such as a pen, which has a smaller contact area than the tip of the finger; etc., the disadvantage was that one was forced to change the pen each time.

[0009] Furthermore, as explained earlier, such information processing devices are usually configured to determine the position touched by the operator for the first time as the input position. The disadvantage is that the process is still executed even if the To overcome this drawback, there is a method that displays a message to the operator to confirm whether the input position is correct after the operator touches the display position and before executing the process, but this method does not allow for smooth input. It is inevitable that the movement will be hindered.

The present invention has been made in view of the related art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing method and an apparatus therefor that make it possible to easily and reliably specify desired information displayed on a display screen. It is something to do.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve this problem, the information processing method of the present invention consists of the steps shown below. That is, in an information processing method for instructing specific information among various types of information displayed on a display screen, there is a display step of displaying a symbol pattern for specifying the instruction position on the display screen, and a step of directly instructing on the display screen. a position detection step for detecting the indicated position when the symbol pattern is displayed; and when the detected indicated position is in the first part of the symbol pattern, processing is executed based on the information displayed at the display position of the symbol pattern. a first control process for controlling the symbol pattern; and a second control process for controlling the display position of the symbol pattern to be updated when the detected indicated position is outside the first part of the symbol pattern. .

Furthermore, the information processing apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, in an information processing device that instructs specific information among various types of information displayed on a display screen, there is provided a display means that displays a symbol pattern for specifying the instruction position on the display screen, and a display device that directly instructs on the display screen. a position detecting means for detecting a designated position when the symbol pattern is detected;
a first control means for controlling to execute processing based on information displayed at a display position of the symbol pattern; and when a detected indicated position is outside the first part of the symbol pattern; and second control means for controlling the display position of the pattern to be updated.

[0013]

[Operation] In the process and configuration of the present invention, when the first part of the displayed symbol pattern is designated, the information at the display position of the symbol pattern is processed as being selected, and the first part of the symbol pattern is When a part other than 1 is specified, the display position of that symbol pattern is updated.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Description of Device Configuration] FIG. 1 shows a block configuration diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment. In the figure, 1 is a display device that displays characters, symbols, images, etc. A coordinate input device 2 is located in front of the display screen of the display 1 and is made of a transparent member, and detects the touch position when touched by an operator (hereinafter simply referred to as a touch panel). Note that the structure of this touch panel 2 is already known, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. 3 is a display device 1 and a touch panel 2
This is an information processing unit that sends and receives data to and from the computer and also controls the entire device.

4 is a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU), and 5 is a program (hereinafter referred to as CPU) which is an operation processing procedure of CPU 4.
(including the flowchart in FIG. 7, which will be described later) and a read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as
6 is random access memory (hereinafter referred to as R
AM) and is used as a work area for the CPU 4. 7 is a touch panel interface unit that receives an output signal from the touch panel 2, converts it into a position coordinate value on the display, and outputs the position coordinate value according to a request from the CPU 4; 8 is a display signal generator whose output signal is sent to the display; 1 is output.

When the operator touches the touch panel 2, the output value (specifically, the voltage value) from the touch panel changes accordingly. The touch panel interface section 7 sequentially detects the touch position based on the output value, and when the CPU 4 issues a position coordinate output request, the touch panel interface section 7 outputs the detected coordinate data at that time to the CPU 4. Here, the position coordinate output request from the CPU 4 can be configured to be issued at specified time intervals (hereinafter referred to as sampling period) using, for example, a timer that counts clocks. The output coordinate values are read into the CPU 4 and processed according to the program.

[Explanation of operation outline] FIG. 2 shows the shape of a pointer symbol displayed on the display screen of the display device 1. As shown in the figure, the pointer has the shape of an arrow like a cursor used in a pointing device such as a mouse, but is large enough to be easily operated by a human finger, and has three parts A, B, and C. Become.

When the operator touches part A of the pointer symbol (actually on the touch panel located in front of part A),
As described above, the position coordinates are read into the CPU 4, and the corresponding processing is executed assuming that the position p of the tip of the arrow is determined as the input position (see FIG. 3).

When the operator touches part B of the pointer symbol, the position coordinates are read into the CPU 4 in the same manner as described above. At this time, the tip p of the pointer symbol is not determined as the input position. When you move your finger while touching the touch panel, the CPU 4 calculates the direction and distance of the finger movement from the position coordinates read at each sampling period. The address on the display device 1 is given to the display signal generator so that the pointer symbol is displayed at the shortened position, and the pointer symbol is displayed on the display device 1. this is,
This is effective when accurately specifying a point smaller than the area of the tip of the operator's finger. In other words, since the pointer symbol moves only a distance shorter than the distance traveled while touching the touch panel with your finger, repeat this operation several times until the pointer symbol indicates the desired position, and after the pointer symbol reaches the desired position. , the input position can be determined by touching part A (see FIG. 4).

[0021] When the operator touches part C of the pointer symbol, the position coordinates are read into the CPU 4 in the same manner as described above, and the tip p of the pointer symbol is determined as the input position in the same way as when touching part B. Not done. When you move your finger while touching the touch panel 2, the CPU 4 calculates the moving direction and moving distance of your finger from the position coordinates read at each sampling period, and the moving direction is the same. As for the distance, an address on the display is given to the display signal generator so that the pointer symbol is displayed at the same position as the actual distance traveled by the finger, and the pointer symbol is displayed on the display. This is used when you want the pointer symbol to follow the movement of your finger. The operator can feel the intuitive operation of grabbing and moving the pointer symbol (
(See Figure 5).

Furthermore, when the operator touches a position other than the pointer symbol, the pointer symbol is instantly moved to that position and displayed. This is effective when you want to move the pointer symbol large and quickly on the screen (see FIG. 6).

It should be noted that the pointer symbol is not limited to the shape shown in the drawings, and of course other shapes may be adopted. In addition, if the pointer symbol consists of only an outline, and the interior is transparent to various menus (letters, symbols, etc.) in the background, it is possible to prevent the target menu from being hidden in the shadows. be.

[Description of Processing Contents] The operation contents of the CPU 4 for realizing the above-mentioned processing will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in step S1, when a touch input is detected, it is determined whether the detected position coordinates are within the pointer symbol displayed on the display device 1 at that time. If the touched position coordinates are within the pointer symbol, the process advances to step S2, and if outside the pointer symbol, the process advances to step S6.

[0026] In step S2, it is determined which part of the pointer symbol shown in FIG. and branch out.

When part A is designated as shown in FIG. 3, the tip position p of the pointer symbol shown in FIG. 2 is determined as the input position, and the process ends. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when part B of the pointer symbol is designated, a minute movement process is performed in which the pointer symbol is moved by making the movement distance of the pointer symbol smaller than the movement distance of the finger (step S4
),finish. If part C of the pointer symbol is designated as shown in FIG. 5, an actual distance movement process is performed in which the moving distance of the finger is equal to the moving distance of the pointer symbol (step S5), and the process ends.

On the other hand, if the touched position coordinates are outside the pointer symbol, it is determined in step S6 whether the touched position coordinates are at the menu symbol position displayed other than the pointer symbol. If it is determined that a location other than the menu symbol position has been touched, as shown in FIG. 6, the pointer symbol is moved to the specified position coordinates (
Step S7), ends. If the touched position is a menu symbol position, the process indicated by the menu is activated and executed (step S8), and the process ends.

Although it has been explained that the process ends here, the process moves to the main process corresponding to the menu displayed at that point, and it goes without saying that the process itself does not end.

As explained above, according to this embodiment,
A pointer symbol is displayed on the display device, and the specified 2
The amount of movement of the specified point is calculated from the two position coordinates and displayed at the destination of the specified point of the pointer symbol. By determining the input position after moving the pointer symbol, even if the operator touches the wrong position, he or she can return the pointer symbol to the correct position and input again, making it possible to check whether the input position is correct. This has the effect that position input can be specified without going through the procedure of confirming with the operator, and the operator can smoothly perform the input operation.

Furthermore, by establishing a functional relationship between the moving distance of the position coordinates specified by the operator and the moving distance of the pointer symbol displayed in response to the movement, the method used by the operator to specify the position can be adjusted. It is now possible to specify a point that is equal to or smaller than the tip. Therefore, the amount of information that can be displayed at one time on the display device can be increased compared to the conventional method, and there are also advantages in that erroneous input can be reduced and accurate position specification can be performed. In addition, since precise position specification can be performed with just a finger without the use of a specific tool, the operator is forced to switch to an input tool even when using other input methods such as a keyboard. It has the effect of disappearing. Furthermore, since the function can be changed depending on the pointer symbol, it is possible to select and operate different functions without moving the finger position.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the configuration itself of FIG. 1, since it can also be applied to cases where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or device.

Further, in the embodiment, an example using a touch panel has been described, but since there is also a light pen etc. which has a large error in the indicated position, it is of course possible to adapt the present invention to such a device.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to easily and reliably specify desired information displayed on a display screen.

Furthermore, by making the amount of movement of the symbol pattern freely dependent on the designated position of the symbol pattern, it becomes possible to designate a more detailed position.

Furthermore, if the desired indicated position is not the display position of the symbol pattern at that time, the display position of the symbol pattern will be redisplayed at the indicated position by simply indicating the vicinity of the target position. This makes it possible to significantly improve the operating environment.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the shape of a pointer symbol displayed in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operation for determining an input position in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a minute movement operation of a pointer symbol in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a movement operation of a pointer symbol following the movement of a finger in the embodiment.

[Figure 6] When touching a point other than the pointer symbol,
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how the display position of a pointer symbol is instantaneously moved.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operational processing procedure in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Display device 2 Touch panel 3 Information processing department 4 CPU 5 ROM 6 RAM 7 Touch panel interface section 8 Display signal generator

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An information processing method for instructing specific information among various types of information displayed on a display screen, comprising: a display step of displaying a symbol pattern for specifying an instruction position on the display screen; a position detection step of detecting the indicated position when directly instructing, and when the detected indicated position is in the first part of the symbol pattern, executing processing based on the information displayed at the display position of the symbol pattern. a first control process for controlling the display position of the symbol pattern to be updated when the detected indicated position is outside the first part of the symbol pattern; An information processing method comprising: 2. The second control step includes a step of slightly moving the symbol pattern when the detected indicated position is in the second part of the symbol pattern, and a step of slightly moving the symbol pattern when the detected indicated position is in the second part of the symbol pattern. 2. The information processing method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of moving the symbol pattern to follow a designated position when the symbol pattern is in the third portion of the pattern. 3. The information processing according to claim 1, further comprising, when the detected indicated position is outside the symbol pattern, displaying the symbol pattern at the indicated position. Method. 4. An information processing device for instructing specific information among various types of information displayed on a display screen, further comprising: display means for displaying a symbol pattern for specifying an instruction position on the display screen; a position detecting means for detecting an indicated position when directly instructing; and when the detected indicated position is in a first part of the symbol pattern, executing processing based on information displayed at the display position of the symbol pattern. and a second control means that controls to update the display position of the symbol pattern when the detected indicated position is outside the first part of the symbol pattern. An information processing device comprising: 5. The second control means includes means for slightly moving the symbol pattern when the detected indicated position is in a second part of the symbol pattern; 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for moving the symbol pattern to follow a designated position when the symbol pattern is in a third portion of the pattern. 6. The information processing according to claim 4, further comprising means for displaying the symbol pattern at the indicated position when the detected indicated position is outside the symbol pattern. Device.