JP4159424B2 - Auxiliary input device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide means that can easily realize setting of an optimum pointer movement even in an environment with a limited area for movement of a mouse itself. <P>SOLUTION: When a user moves the mouse on an operating surface to generate vector information, what unit vector it corresponds to is calculated, and the calculated value N is multiplied by a unit vector movement V' of a pointer stored in a unit vector movement storage part to produce a pointer movement L=N&times;V'. The movement L is input into a pointer position updating part to change the display position of the pointer. If a lift of the mouse off the operating surface is detected in the moving operation, the unit vector movement V' stored in the unit vector movement storage part is increased by a constant value V". Although the pointer moving operation is repeated after the mouse is brought again into contact with the operating surface, even if the movement of the mouse itself is the same as the preceding one, the pointer is moved largely by N&times;V". <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a mouse used as an auxiliary input device in a personal computer or the like.

  For example, a mouse can be moved and positioned by simply moving it on a flat surface such as a pad or a desk, and even a beginner can easily operate it. However, the area where the mouse can be moved is usually a limited area where no other items are placed on the pad or on the desk. It is necessary to continue the moving operation again after lifting the mouse from the pad or desk and returning it to the operable position.

  As a method for solving such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of providing a switch for changing the ratio of the movement amount of the pointer position to the movement amount of the mouse. According to this method, every time the ratio of the movement amount of the pointer position is changed, the user has to change the setting with the switch, and the operation is complicated and a dedicated switch must be provided.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, when the mouse is lifted, the ratio of the amount of movement between the mouse and the pointer on the display screen in the information processing apparatus changes, and the ratio changes in the preset order each time the mouse is lifted. Thus, a method for improving operability without providing a specific switch on the surface of the mouse is described.

JP 7-295742 A JP-A-6-202804

  In the invention described in Patent Document 2, by using the frequency division output signal from the frequency division means as means for changing the ratio of the amount of movement between the mouse and the pointer on the display screen in the information processing apparatus, for example, 1 Since the ratio of the amount of movement between the mouse and the pointer on the display screen in the information processing device is changed in units of n times or 1 / n times (n is an integer) such as double, double, and quadruple The step width becomes large, and it is difficult to obtain an optimal ratio of pointer movement.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is an environment where the area where the mouse itself can be moved is small when a pointer moving operation on the display screen is performed using an auxiliary input device that moves on the floor surface like a mouse. However, an object of the present invention is to provide means capable of easily realizing the setting of the optimum pointer movement amount.

  The present invention relates to an auxiliary input device having a function of controlling movement of a pointer displayed on a display screen in response to vector movement information output from a mouse moving on a flat surface. A floating detection means for detecting that the mouse has been lifted from the flat surface during operation, and when the floating of the mouse is detected by the floating detection means, the mouse at the time of detection By adding a certain vector movement amount to the unit vector movement amount on the display screen of the pointer set corresponding to the unit vector movement amount, the pointer corresponding to the unit vector movement amount of the mouse is added. Pointer movement amount setting means for changing the unit vector movement amount on the display screen is provided.

  In the present invention, as in the invention described in the cited document 2, when the auxiliary input device has to be operated with a narrow operation surface, the user unconsciously moves the mouse up once to change its position. In the present invention, the relative movement amount of the pointer is automatically added by a certain value every time the mouse cannot be moved on the operation surface and the mouse is lifted. This addition of the relative movement amount is repeated every time the mouse is lifted, and finally the pointer movement amount is set to the optimum amount for the area of the operation surface on which the user operates the mouse.

  According to the present invention, even if the user does not explicitly adjust the relative movement amount of the pointer, it is possible to optimally set the value of the movement amount added to the relative movement amount of the pointer. The amount can be finely adjusted according to the usage environment.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an auxiliary input setting method of the present invention, which processes an operation surface 1 having a limited area, a mouse 2 placed on the operation surface 1, and information output from the mouse 2. The information processing unit 3 includes a display screen 4 that displays the content processed by the information processing unit 3, and a pointer 41 that is moved and displayed on the display screen 4 in response to a moving operation on the operation surface 1 of the mouse 2. . In addition, the mouse 2 includes a rising detection unit that detects that the mouse 2 has left the operation surface 1 and has floated in the air.

  When the user moves the mouse 2 on the operation surface 1, the display position of the pointer 41 is updated according to a predetermined pointer relative movement amount. Assume now that the mouse 2 is in the center of the operation surface 1. It is assumed that the mouse 2 starts to move so as to move the pointer 41 on the display screen 4 by the distance A, and reaches the end of the operation surface 1 when the mouse 2 moves by the distance B.

  If the pointer 41 has moved only a distance A ′ (A ′ <A) at this point, the user once lifts the mouse 2 and places it again in the center of the operation surface 1 and tries to start moving the mouse 2 again. To do. At this moment, the levitation detecting means detects that the input device 2 has floated from the operation surface 1 and notifies the information processing unit 3 of it. The information processing unit 3 determines that “the area of the operation surface 1 is so small that the user has to rearrange the input device”, and adds a relative amount of relative movement of the pointer.

  Next, if the user moves the mouse 2 by the same distance B as before, the relative movement amount of the pointer is increased by a certain amount added, so the pointer 41 is moved by the distance A ″ (A ′ <A ″). Will move. Each time these series of operations are repeated, the relative movement amount of the pointer increases, and an optimal pointer that does not require the mouse 2 to be lifted and rearranged in the operation on the operation surface 1 having a limited area. The relative movement amount is automatically set.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a mouse, an information processing unit, and a display unit that constitute the auxiliary input device of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a floating detection mechanism of the mouse 2.

  The auxiliary input device of the present invention is particularly effective when the movement of the pointer on the display screen is controlled by the horizontal operation surface 1 having a limited area and the mouse 2 placed on the operation surface 1. Information output from the mouse 2 is processed by the information processing unit 3, and the movement of the pointer 41 displayed on the display screen 4 is controlled by the processing result.

  The mouse 2 includes a movement vector amount detection means 20 generated by the movement of the mouse 2, a levitation detection means 21 for detecting that the mouse 2 has left the operation surface 1 and floated in the air, and a movement of the mouse 2. An information notification unit 22 for notifying the information processing unit 3 of the generated vector information V and the detection result of the levitation detection means 21 is provided.

  The information processing unit 3 includes an input processing unit 31 that processes information input from the information notification unit 22 and a unit vector movement amount storage unit 32 that stores a unit vector movement amount V ′ for determining the relative movement amount of the pointer. And a pointer position updating unit 33 for updating the position of the pointer 41.

  The mouse 2 detects the moving direction and moving amount (moving vector amount) of the mouse 2 by rotating the ball 24 stored in the ball storage unit 23 arranged on the bottom surface thereof in contact with the operation surface 1. A floating switch 25 is disposed above the ball storage unit 23, and the ball 24 presses the floating detection switch 25 when the mouse 2 is in contact with the operation surface 1. When the mouse 2 is lifted into the air, the ball 24 moves to the lower side of the ball storage portion 23 due to the influence of gravity, and the levitation detection switch 25 is not pushed.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the embodiment of the present invention. This process can be executed by a computer (information processing apparatus) in the information processing unit 3 under the control of a program stored in the storage unit of the information processing unit 3. Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG.

  When the user moves the mouse 2 on the operation surface 1, the ball 23 rotates to generate vector information V, and this vector information V is input to the information processing unit 3 via the information notification unit 22. The input processing unit 31 monitors whether there is an input from the information notification unit 22 (step C1), and when the vector information V is input (step C2), how many unit vectors it corresponds to. (Step C3), the calculated value N is multiplied by the unit vector movement amount V ′ of the pointer 41 stored in the unit vector movement amount storage unit 32, and the movement amount L = N × V ′ of the pointer 41 is calculated. Is calculated (step C4). The movement amount L is input to the pointer position update unit 33, and the pointer position update unit 33 changes the display position of the pointer 41 (step C5).

  In order to move the pointer 41 greatly, the user needs to move the mouse 2 greatly. However, since the operation surface 1 has a limited area, the mouse 2 reaches the end of the operation surface 1 during the movement. There is a possibility that. At that time, the user lifts the mouse 2 from the operation surface 1 and then moves it to the middle of the operation surface 1 and tries to move the mouse 2 again from that position.

  At that moment, the ball 24 slightly moves to the lower side of the ball storage unit 23 due to the influence of gravity, so that the levitation detection switch 25 is released. The state of the levitation detection switch 25 is input to the information processing unit 3 via the information notification unit 22. When the input processing unit 31 detects the floating of the mouse 2 (step C6), it determines that “the area of the operation surface 1 is so small that the user has to rearrange the input device”, and the unit vector movement amount storage unit 32 The stored unit vector movement amount V ′ is increased by a certain amount V ″ (step C7).

After the mouse 2 comes into contact with the operation surface 1 again, the operation from Step C1 is repeated. However, if the next time the mouse 2 moves by the same N unit vector as the previous movement amount, the movement amount L calculated in Step C4. Is L = N × (V ′ + V ″)
Thus, even if the movement amount of the mouse 2 itself is the same as the previous time, the pointer 41 moves by an amount corresponding to N × V ″. This is nothing but setting the pointer moving speed high. Each time the operation of lifting the mouse 2 is repeated, the amount of movement of the pointer 41 per unit vector increases by V ″.

  At this time, if the value of the constant amount V ″ is set to a value smaller than the unit vector movement amount V ′ at the initial setting, the unit vector movement amount increase step can be set in small increments. Compared to changing the movement amount ratio by changing the division ratio of the peripheral circuit, it is easier to set the optimal pointer movement amount even in an environment where the area where the mouse itself can be moved is small. It becomes possible.

  Further, after the optimum unit vector movement amount V ′ is set, the set unit vector movement amount is fixed and released so that the unit vector movement amount V ′ is not changed by inadvertently lifting the mouse. A lock switch for performing this operation is provided at a desired position of the mouse 2 (for example, the side of the mouse), and when the optimum unit vector movement amount V ′ is set, the lock switch is pressed to detect the subsequent floating detection means. Thus, a means for maintaining the set optimum unit vector movement amount V ′ can be provided. If this lock switch is pressed again, the lock is released and the unit vector movement amount V 'setting operation is continued.

  Further, in the above embodiment, every time the operation of lifting the mouse 2 is repeated, the movement amount of the pointer 41 per unit vector is controlled to increase by V ″. If the amount of movement per hit exceeds the optimum value, it must be increased to the maximum value of the amount of movement per unit vector and then repeated from the beginning.

  Therefore, in order not to repeat such a useless operation, a switch capable of switching so that the movement amount per unit vector of the pointer 41 is decreased by V ″ every time the operation of lifting the mouse 2 is repeated. A switch may be provided at a desired position of the mouse 2 (for example, a side surface of the mouse), and information on the changeover switch may be output to the input processing unit 31.

  The input processing unit 31 performs a calculation in the direction of adding or subtracting the moving amount per unit vector of the pointer 41 by V ″ according to the information indicating whether the changeover switch is increased or decreased. It is possible to easily and quickly set an optimal pointer movement amount per unit vector.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the floating detection mechanism of the mouse 2. In this embodiment, the levitation detection switch 25 is directly disposed on the bottom surface of the mouse 2, and the levitation detection switch 25 detects the levitation of the mouse 2 by moving away from the operation surface 1.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the floating detection mechanism of the mouse 2. In this embodiment, the optical sensor 26 detects the distance to the operation surface 1. Unlike the embodiment described in FIG. 3, the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 does not require gravity when detecting that the mouse 2 has moved away from the operation surface 1. Therefore, even if the operation surface 1 is a vertical plane such as a wall, the operation is possible.

  The operation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is essentially different from the operation shown in FIG. 4 except that the floating detection mechanism directly detects that the mouse 2 has moved away from the operation surface 1. Therefore, detailed description of these operations will be omitted.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the ball 24 for detecting the movement amount of the mouse 2 is provided. However, this is only an example, and another movement amount detection method using an optical sensor or the like (optical mouse). Etc.) is not a problem at all.

It is the schematic which shows the auxiliary input setting method of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the auxiliary input device of this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example in the floating detection mechanism of the mouse. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows another example in the floating detection mechanism of the mouse | mouth 2. FIG. It is the schematic which shows another example in the floating detection mechanism of the mouse | mouth 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation surface 2 Mouse 3 Information processing part 4 Display screen 20 Movement vector amount detection means 21 Levitation detection means 22 Information notification part 23 Ball storage part 24 Trackball 25 Levitation detection switch 25
31 Input Processing Unit 32 Unit Vector Movement Amount Storage Unit 33 Pointer Position Update Unit 41 Pointer

Claims (10)

In an auxiliary input device having a function of controlling the movement of a pointer displayed on a display screen corresponding to vector movement information output from a mouse moving on a flat surface,
A floating detection means for detecting that the mouse is lifted from the flat surface when the pointer is moved by the mouse;
When the rising of the mouse is detected by the rising detection means, a constant vector is set to the unit vector movement amount on the display screen of the pointer set corresponding to the unit vector movement amount of the mouse at the time of detection. An auxiliary input device comprising pointer movement amount setting means for changing a unit vector movement amount on the display screen of the pointer corresponding to the unit vector movement amount of the mouse by adding a movement amount.   A lock switch for fixing and releasing the unit vector movement amount of the pointer set in the pointer movement amount setting means is provided at a desired position of the mouse, and the unit vector movement amount of the pointer is fixed by the lock switch. And a means for maintaining the unit vector movement amount of the pointer set in the pointer movement amount setting means by disabling subsequent output of the levitation detection means. Auxiliary input device described in 1.   A change-over switch is provided at a desired position of the mouse so as to subtract the constant vector movement amount from a unit vector movement amount on the display screen of the pointer. When the floating of the mouse is detected, the pointer movement amount setting means calculates the pointer from the unit vector movement amount on the display screen of the pointer set corresponding to the unit vector movement amount of the mouse at the time of detection. 3. The auxiliary input according to claim 1, wherein a unit vector movement amount on the display screen of the pointer corresponding to the unit vector movement amount of the mouse is changed by subtracting a constant vector movement amount. apparatus.   The movement distance of the constant vector movement amount is set to be smaller than the movement distance of the vector movement amount of the pointer that is initially set with respect to the vector movement amount of the mouse. 4. The auxiliary input device according to any one of 3. A means for outputting the vector movement information by rotating a ball stored in a ball storage portion disposed on the bottom surface in contact with a flat surface; and the levitation detection means,
In the state where the mouse is in contact with the flat surface, the levitation detecting means is in a state where the ball pushes the levitation detection switch, and the mouse is lifted into the air and the ball moves to the lower side of the ball storage unit. The auxiliary input device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mouse input is detected by detecting that the state of pressing the rising detection switch is released. The mouse used.   The levitation detection means includes a levitation detection switch arranged directly on the bottom surface of the mouse, and is configured to detect the levitation of the mouse by detecting that the levitation detection switch is separated from the flat surface. The mouse used for the auxiliary input device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The mouse used in the auxiliary input device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the levitation detecting means is configured by an optical sensor directly disposed on a bottom surface of the mouse.   The mouse according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising means for obtaining vector movement information moving on the flat surface by an optical sensor.   Monitoring input information from a mouse moving on a flat surface on a computer; and dividing the vector information by a unit vector preset in the mouse when the input information is vector information; The value (N) calculated by the division is multiplied by the unit vector movement amount (V ′) of the pointer stored in the unit vector movement amount storage unit, and the pointer movement amount (L = N × V '), A step of changing the display position of the pointer according to the calculated movement amount of the pointer, and the unit vector movement amount storage when the input information is information indicating the floating of the mouse. A constant vector movement amount (V ″) is added to the unit vector movement amount (V ′) of the pointer stored in the section, and the added value (V ′ + V ″) Program for executing a step of updating the unit vector amount of movement of the pointer stored in the serial unit vector movement amount storage unit.   When the input information is information indicating the rise of the mouse and is information for instructing subtraction, the unit vector movement amount (V ′) stored in the unit vector movement amount storage unit is used to calculate the constant value. Subtracting the vector movement amount (V ″) and updating the unit vector movement amount of the pointer stored in the unit vector movement amount storage unit with the subtracted value (V′−V ″). The program according to claim 9.

Images