JP6928127B2 - Wearable information terminal - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wearable information terminal.

In recent years, portable wireless devices such as wearable information terminals have become widespread because of their ease of use, which can be used at any time and place. In particular, wearable information terminals are becoming smaller because they are worn on the body for use. Similarly, many displays provided in small terminals are smaller than smartphones and tablets. Many of the displays of wearable information terminals use a touch panel, and selection and input operations can be performed by touch operation with a fingertip or a touch pen.

As an example of such a wearable information terminal, Patent Document 1 states, "Infrared laser beam scanning means for detecting the orientation and distance of a fingertip while writing in a hand, and light received from the fingertip to receive the reflected light of the fingertip. A wristwatch-type electronic memo device (summary excerpt) consisting of a means for measuring a position, a means for detecting a skin contact sound for detecting a writing state, a means for displaying memo data, and a means for generating vibration for appropriately responding to an operator. It is disclosed.

Further, Patent Document 2 states that "a wearable information terminal that can be wound around a user's arm and worn, and a touch pad existing on an outer surface of a display and an opposite position of the display when worn on the user's arm. A sensor that detects the tilt of the wearable information terminal with respect to the reference axis, and when an operation on the touchpad is detected, a pointer icon is displayed at the position corresponding to the operation position on the display, and the tilt is within a predetermined range and the touchpad. It has a control unit that switches the display to the power saving mode when the operation to is not detected (summary excerpt). ”A wearable information terminal is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 4899108 U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015286246

The display of the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 needs to be separately provided with an optical system for detecting the orientation and distance of the fingertip during writing on the back of the hand or the surface of the palm, which is not easy to use. Further, in the wearable information terminal disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the touch pad is arranged at the opposite position of the display, that is, on the back side of the display via the wrist, it is difficult to intuitively understand the input operation. Under such circumstances, it is desired to devise ways to improve the operability of the wearable information terminal.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for improving the operability of a wearable information terminal.

The above object can be achieved by the configuration and function disclosed in the claims. The present invention includes a plurality of means for solving the above problems. For example, a wearable information terminal that can be worn by a user, has a main body and a screen, and displays information on the screen. The main body is provided with a circular display unit, a control unit that executes display processing on the display unit, and an operation detection unit that can detect a plurality of types of input operations specified by the user. The operation detection unit includes a frame having a unit, the operation detection unit includes a touch panel which is arranged in an annular shape inside the outer peripheral portion of the frame and is laminated on the screen, and the control unit includes a plurality of regions of the screen. It is possible to memorize the correspondence with the operation detection unit and execute a plurality of applications, and control the display unit so that different applications are displayed in each of the plurality of areas of the screen. Then, when the operation detection unit detects an input operation along the circumference of the user, the information indicating which position of the operation detection unit is detected and the type of the input operation are acquired, and the input operation is detected. The application displayed in the area of the screen is selected with reference to the stored correspondence, and the input operation is performed at a predetermined position of the operation detection unit arranged in an annular shape. Based on whether or not the operation was performed with the operation start position, and whether or not the detection position of the input operation was moved or the direction of movement, the display process for the selected application was separately executed, and the selected application was executed. It is characterized in that it is controlled independently of the application displayed in other areas of the screen.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for improving the operability of a wearable information terminal. Issues, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified in the following embodiments.

Schematic diagram of the configuration of the wearable information terminal according to this embodiment Exploded view of the frame (plan view) In the cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, (a) shows an example in which a contact detection unit is provided on the upper surface of the frame, and (b) is an example in which a contact detection unit is provided on the bottom surface of the frame in addition to (a). Is shown. Block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the wearable information terminal Block diagram showing the functional configuration of the controller of the wearable information terminal The figure which shows the correspondence relationship between the contact detection part arranged in a frame and a screen area 6 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 6, where FIG. 6A shows a swipe operation and FIG. 6B shows a transition of a pointer in a rotation touch. Diagram showing an example of operation information Flowchart showing the processing flow of the wearable information terminal Diagram showing an example of transitioning the desktop screen by frame operation Diagram showing another example of transitioning the desktop screen by frame operation Diagram showing an example of transitioning the browser screen by frame operation Diagram showing an example of transitioning the map screen by frame operation It is a figure which shows the example which transitions a map screen by a frame operation, (a) shows the standard size display example, (b) shows the enlarged display example. It is a figure which shows the example which transitions a map screen by a frame operation, (a) shows the pinch-in display example, (b) shows the pinch-out display example. It is a figure which shows the operation example of the wearable information terminal which has a quadrangular frame, (a) shows the standard size display example, (b) shows the enlarged display example. Schematic configuration diagram of the wearable terminal shown in FIG. The figure which shows the input signal processing for specifying an xy coordinate by assuming that the vertical axis and the horizontal axis of a frame are y-axis and x-axis, respectively. The figure which shows the operation example of the wearable information terminal which uses a pressure sensor as a contact detection part. The figure which shows the other operation example of the wearable information terminal which uses a pressure sensor as a contact detection part. The figure which shows the operation example of the wearable information terminal which provided the pressure sensitive sensor on the back surface of a frame. The figure which shows the other operation example of the wearable information terminal which provided the pressure sensitive sensor on the back surface of a frame. Diagram showing an operation example in a telephone application Diagram showing an example of frame operation (scrolling the screen) It is a figure which shows another example of a frame operation (scrolling of a screen), (a) is an example of touch start from the part corresponding to around 12 o'clock of a frame, and (b) is an example of touch start from the part corresponding to around 9 o'clock of a frame. An example of touch start of is shown. It is a figure which shows another example of a frame operation (scrolling of a screen), (a) is an example of scrolling the screen downward by a touch operation of the lower part of a frame, (b) is an example of scrolling the screen downward by a touch operation of the upper right of a frame, and the screen is moved to the upper right. Here is an example of scrolling to. Diagram showing other examples of frame operation (screen scrolling) Diagram showing an example of frame operation on the sound controller screen The figure which shows the frame operation (screen split) of a wearable information terminal It is a figure which shows the recovery operation from a malfunction of a wearable information terminal, (a) shows an example of double tapping a frame, (b) shows an example of tapping a screen. Schematic configuration diagram of a wearable information terminal that accepts recovery operations from malfunctions It is a figure which shows the recovery operation from a malfunction of a wearable information terminal, (a) shows an operation example which traces a screen for every mounting part, and (b) shows an example which provided the hard button of the return operation. Schematic configuration of a wearable information terminal equipped with a gyro sensor

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components will be designated by the same reference numerals and duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a wearable information terminal according to the present embodiment. The wearable information terminal 1 of FIG. 1 has a screen 2 for displaying information, a frame 3 arranged so as to surround the screen 2, and a mounting portion 5 for mounting on the body, and the frame 3 has a screen 2 of the screen 2. The contact detection unit 4 is arranged along the outer circumference. Since the contact detection unit detects the user operation, it functions as an operation detection unit. As will be described later, as another example of the operation detection unit, a gyro sensor or a touch panel laminated on the screen may be used.

In FIG. 1, 16 contact detection units 4 are arranged around the screen 2, but the number of contact detection units 4 is not limited to 16. Further, in FIG. 1, a plurality of contact detection units 4 are arranged along the outer circumference of the screen 2, but if the shape of the contact detection unit 4 can be integrally formed along the outer circumference of the screen 2, one It may be composed of one contact detection unit. Although the contact detection unit 4 is arranged so as to surround the outer circumference of the screen 2, not only the case where the contact detection unit 4 continuously surrounds the outer circumference but also a part of the contact detection unit 4 may be arranged discontinuously on the outer circumference as shown in FIG. ..

The contact detection unit 4 is composed of, for example, a touch sensor. This may be either a resistive film type or a capacitance type, as long as it can detect that a person's finger, hand, or any other part of the body used for operation or a touch pen is touching. The method may be used. Further, the contact detection unit 4 may be a pressure sensor. If it is a pressure-sensitive sensor, it is also possible to detect the strength of pushing in the thickness direction.

Further, although the screen 2 and the frame 3 show a circular shape in FIG. 1, they may have a polygonal shape including a triangle or a quadrangle. Since the wearable information terminal 1 has the above configuration, the user can operate the wearable information terminal 1 while checking the contents of the screen 2 without hiding the display of the screen 2 by the operating finger.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view (plan view) of the frame 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the frame 3 has a circular plate-shaped bottom surface 3a, an annular side surface 3b protruding along the peripheral edge of the bottom surface 3a, and an upper surface 3c (corresponding to a frame portion) attached to the upper part of the side surface 3b. And. The upper surface 3c is provided with an opening 3c1 in the center thereof for fitting the screen 2. Further, a plurality of recesses 3c2 (16 in FIG. 1) for fitting the contact detection unit 4 are provided around the opening 3c1 on the upper surface 3c. Each contact detection unit 4 of FIG. 1 is housed in each recess 3c2 of the upper surface 3c.

3A and 3B are cross-sectional views taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 3A shows an example in which a contact detection unit 4a is provided on the upper surface 3c of the frame, and FIG. An example including the contact detection unit 4b is shown. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the controller 20 of the wearable information terminal 1a is housed in the space surrounded by the bottom surface 3a, the side surface 3b, and the top surface 3c of the frame 3. A contact detection unit 4a is housed in each recess 3c2 on the upper surface 3c, and each contact detection unit 4a is electrically connected to the controller 20 by a bus 31. The screen 2 is also electrically connected to the controller 20 by the bus 32.

Further, the wearable information terminal 1b shown in FIG. 3B is provided on the back surface of the bottom surface 3a of the frame 3, that is, the surface of the bottom surface 3a of the frame 3 facing the wearer's mounting portion, in addition to the configuration of the wearable information terminal 1a. A pressure-sensitive sensor 4b is provided as the contact detection unit 4. The pressure sensor 4b is also electrically connected to the controller 20 by the bus 33. Since the other configurations are the same as those of the wearable information terminal 1 of FIG. 1, the wearable information terminal 1a and the wearable information terminal 1b are the same in a plan view.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the wearable information terminal 1. The wearable information terminal 1 is configured by connecting a display device 210 including a screen 2, a contact detection units 4a and 4b, and a main power switch 220 to the controller 20. The controller 20 includes a CPU 201 as a control / arithmetic unit, a RAM 202 as a volatile storage device, a ROM 203 as a non-volatile storage device, an HDD 204 (may be an SSD), and an interface (I / F) 205, and each of these components. Are connected to each other via bus 206. A display device 210, contact detection units 4a and 4b, and a main power switch 220 are connected to the I / F 205.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the controller 20 of the wearable information terminal 1. The controller 20 includes an application control unit 21, an operation conversion unit 22, a display control unit 23, an operation information storage unit 24, and a screen management information storage unit 25. The application control unit 21, the operation conversion unit 22, and the display control unit 23 may be configured by the CPU 201 loading software such as an OS or an application stored in the ROM 203 or the HDD 204 into the RAM 202 and executing the software. Further, it may be configured by an integrated circuit that realizes these functions. The operation information storage unit 24 stores operation information that defines the types of operations detected by the contact detection units 4a and 4b and the corresponding operation contents for each type of software stored in the wearable information terminal 1 (FIG. 8). Will be described later.). The screen management information storage unit 25 stores the screen information immediately before being displayed on the display device 210 and the screen division information described later. The operation information storage unit 24 and the screen management information storage unit 25 are composed of storage devices such as a RAM 202, a ROM 203, and an HDD 204.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between the contact detection unit arranged on the frame and the screen area. As shown in FIG. 6, the screen 2 has the same number as the contact detection units 4 by radial lines (indicated by a single point chain point) passing through the center point of the screen, that is, 16 contact detection units 401 to 416 in the example of FIG. A contact detection unit is provided, and the screen 2 is divided into 16. One contact detection unit is arranged between adjacent radial lines. Then, information (screen division information) corresponding to the split screen of the screen 2 surrounded by the radial lines, for example, 211 and the contact detection unit 401 at the outer edge of the split screen 211, is transmitted to the screen management information storage unit 25. Remember.

Then, when the user's finger touches the contact detection unit 401, the touch detection signal (input signal) is output from the contact detection unit 401 to the controller 20, and the operation conversion unit 22 refers to the screen division information and the contact detection unit. An operation signal for displaying the pointer (also referred to as a cursor) 100 at the initial setting position of the split screen 211 associated with the 401 is generated and output to the display control unit 23. Further, when the touch position of the finger on the contact detection unit 401 changes in any two-dimensional direction of up, down, left, and right, the position of the pointer icon 100 changes according to the amount of change in the touch position.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which 16 contact detection units 4 are provided and the screen is divided into 16, but the number of contact detection units 4 and the number of screen divisions are not limited to 16. Further, in the above, the contact detection unit and the corresponding split screen are associated with each other on a one-to-one basis, but a plurality of contact detection units may be associated with one split screen.

Among the applications executed by the wearable information terminal 1, in an application in which it is preferable to have a function of specifying specific coordinates of a screen, screen division information is stored in the controller 20 in advance, and when the application is started. The screen division information may be read out and the corresponding processing between the contact detection unit 4 and the division screen may be executed. However, when the wearable information terminal 1 executes only an application that does not require the function of specifying the specific coordinates of the screen. , Screen split information may not be available. In this case, no matter which contact detection unit is touched, the pointer is displayed at a predetermined initial setting position in the screen, and the position of the pointer changes according to the displacement amount of the touch position. good. Further, even if the screen division information is not stored in the initial state of the wearable information terminal 1, for example, in the shipping state, an application suitable for specifying specific coordinates of the screen is installed in the wearable information terminal 1 ( The split screen information may also be configured to be installed when (including the case of downloading from the network and installing).

7A and 7B are partially enlarged views of FIG. 6, where FIG. 7A shows a swipe operation and FIG. 7B shows a transition of a pointer in a rotation touch. As shown in FIG. 7A, when the user touches an arbitrary point Tch1 in the contact detection unit 401, a pointer is displayed at the initial setting position P1 of the split screen 211 associated with the contact detection unit 401. In this state, the user swipes to the point Tch2 of the contact detection unit 401. Assuming that the distance from Tch1 to Tch2 is d, the display position of the pointer shifts to the position P2 deviated by the distance nd (n> 0) in the same direction as the swipe operation. In the example of FIG. 7A, the position P2 is in the split screen 212, but P2 may fit in the split screen 211 depending on the set value of n or the value of the distance d.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the pointer is rotated while the arbitrary point Tch1 of the contact detection unit 401 is touched, the pointer rotates at the initial setting position P1.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of operation information. The operation screen transition correspondence information is information that defines the correspondence relationship between the type of application, the type of touch operation when the application is running, and the content of the screen transition due to the touch operation. For example, if the desktop screen is displayed even if the touch operation is "scroll the frame", the pointer icon is moved and displayed, but if the mail application is running, "frame is scrolled". The screen scrolls when the "trace" operation is performed. In this way, even if the operation is the same, the screen transition contents differ depending on the running application, so these correspondence relationships are defined in the operation screen transition correspondence information.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the wearable information terminal 1. When the main power switch 220 is pressed, a power-on signal is output to the controller 20, and when the power is turned on (S01), the application control unit 21 determines the type of running application (S02), and the operation information storage unit. The operation information corresponding to the type of the running application is extracted from 24. The running application referred to here also includes desktop screen display software (which may be configured as one function of the OS) when a specific application is not started and the desktop screen is displayed.

The operation conversion unit 22 waits for a frame operation (S03 / No), outputs a signal (input signal) indicating that the contact detection unit 4 has detected a contact to the controller 20, and when the operation conversion unit 22 acquires the signal (input signal) ( S03 / Yes), the operation conversion unit 22 converts the input signal into an operation signal with reference to the operation information extracted in S01 (S04). When the input signal is converted into an operation signal indicating an application start instruction, the operation conversion unit 22 outputs the application start signal to the application control unit 21. In the screen division process described later, the screen division information in which the number of screen divisions, the division position and the corresponding contact detection unit are associated with each other is stored in the screen management information storage unit 25 in advance, and the operation conversion unit 22 stores the screen division information. Refer to to convert the input signal into the operation signal for the split screen.

The input signal is a signal indicating which position of which contact detection unit 4 is touched. Based on the time-series change of the input signal, the operation conversion unit 22 has two points (2) of the frame touch operation of "frame tracing operation", "frame tracing operation", "pinch in / pinch out", and frame. Simultaneous touch of axis) ”,“ Touch of the frame corresponding part in the direction you want to scroll ”,“ Frame touch position + touch operation ”,“ Double tap ”(see Fig. 8), and operate the input signal. It is converted into a signal and output to the display control unit 23.

The display control unit 23 outputs a display control signal for displaying according to the operation signal to the display device 210 including the screen 2 and performs display control (S05). In the case of a recovery operation from a malfunction described later, the display control unit 23 reads the immediately preceding screen information from the screen management information storage unit 25, and outputs a display control signal for displaying the immediately preceding screen indicated by the screen management information storage unit 25 to the display device 210. The processes S02 to S05 are repeated until the main power supply of the wearable information terminal 1 is turned off.

Hereinafter, an operation example of each application defined in the operation information of FIG. 8 will be described.

(Desktop 1)
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of transitioning the desktop screen by a frame operation. In FIG. 10, a plurality of icons are displayed on the screen 2. Since the icon displayed on the small screen 2 is smaller than the operating finger, it is difficult to accurately touch the target icon from among a plurality of icons with the fingertip, and an erroneous operation may occur. There is. In addition, since the target icon is hidden by the fingertip to be operated, it is difficult for the user to understand the relative positional relationship between his / her fingertip and the target icon when touched. Therefore, in FIG. 10, the pointer icon 100 is first displayed on the screen 2. The display method of the pointer icon 100 can be arbitrarily specified by the user, and may be an operation such as a touch, a long press, or a tap on the screen 2, or an operation on the frame 3.

The pointer icon 100 has a role of clarifying the selected portion on the screen 2 to the user in real time. Here, the shape and color of the pointer icon 100 are not limited as long as the currently selected portion can be clearly understood.

The operation of the pointer icon 100 is possible by the user touching the frame 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, by tracing the frame 3 in the horizontal direction (arrow A1), the pointer icon 100 is moved left and right (arrow B1), and by tracing the frame 3 in the vertical direction (arrow A2), the pointer icon 100 is moved. Can be moved up and down (arrow B2). The wearable information terminal 1 detects that the contact detection unit 4 arranged in the frame 3 has been operated by the user's hand 6 and moves the pointer icon 100. As a result, the pointer icon 100 moves from the position before the movement (displayed by the dotted pointer icon) to the position of the pointer icon 100.

As described above, according to the example of FIG. 10, the selection operation can be performed while checking the display contents of the small screen 2, and the erroneous operation is reduced as compared with the case where the screen 2 is directly touched with a finger to select. It is possible to do.

(Desktop screen 2)
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example in which the desktop screen is transitioned by a frame operation. On the desktop screen of FIG. 11, the application icon is displayed on the screen 2 along the circumferential direction of the frame 3. In that case, when the user traces the frame 3 (arrow A3), the pointer icon 100 moves along the frame 3 (arrow B3). In this example, the pointer icon 100 may be displayed, but it may not be displayed. For example, when the pointer icon 100 is not displayed, the selected icon is enlarged and displayed so that the user can clearly see the currently selected part.

(browser)
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example in which the browser screen is changed by a frame operation. On the browser screen of FIG. 12, a plurality of folders are displayed in an overlapping manner, and it is assumed that the folder 9 is currently selected by the pointer icon 100. If the user wants to select another folder 11 in this situation, the user changes the selected folder by, for example, tracing the frame 3 in the width direction (arrow A4). Here, the folders displayed in an overlapping manner are taken as an example, but for example, a web page in which a plurality of folders are started and displayed in an overlapping manner may be used. According to the example of FIG. 12, the selection operation can be performed while checking the display contents of the small screen 2, and the erroneous operation can be reduced as compared with the case where the screen 2 is directly touched with a finger to select. It is possible.

(Map application)
13 to 15 are diagrams showing an example of transitioning the map screen by frame operation. As shown in FIG. 13, for example, when it is desired to browse a map on a small screen 2, the pointer icon 100 is used to select a specific part of the display content. Similar to the above example, the pointer icon 100 moves in the horizontal direction (arrow B5) or the vertical direction (arrow B6) of the screen 2 by tracing the frame 3 in the horizontal direction (arrow A5) or the vertical direction (arrow A6). ..

After selecting a specific location (the position where the pointer icon 100 is displayed in FIG. 13 corresponds to the specific location), for example, by tracing the frame 3 clockwise as shown by the arrow C1 in FIG. The initial display size (see FIG. 14A) is changed to the enlarged display (see FIG. 14B).

In addition, different functions may be assigned depending on the tracing method, such as reducing the size by tracing counterclockwise.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the frame 3 may be reduced or enlarged by pinching in (see FIG. 15A) or pinching out (see FIG. 15B).

When the screen 2 is directly touched or swiped with a fingertip to perform an operation including reduction or enlargement of the screen as in the conventional case, the screen 2 is hidden by the fingertip to be operated, for example, 1 like a map. When scrolling information that does not fit on the screen, there is a problem that it is difficult to know which part was scrolled in which direction. However, according to this example, it is possible to perform operations such as enlarging or reducing the selected portion while checking the map displayed on the small screen 2, and the operation content is displayed to the user who is operating the operation. It has the effect of being self-explanatory, and it is possible to reduce erroneous operations. As an accompanying effect, there is also an advantage that stains such as fingerprints are less likely to adhere to the liquid crystal screen.

(Square frame)
16A and 16B are diagrams showing an operation example of a wearable information terminal having a square frame, in which FIG. 16A shows an example of standard size display and FIG. 16B shows an example of enlarged display. The xy coordinates are specified by regarding the vertical and horizontal axes of the frame 3 as the y-axis and the x-axis, respectively. This makes it possible to easily select a specific location. For example, when you want to select a specific part when browsing a map, if you touch it with your fingertip, the target part will be hidden because the screen 2 is small. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16, the frame 3 of the wearable information terminal 1a is utilized, and the vertical axis and the horizontal axis are simultaneously touched with two fingers. By selecting one point that is determined by the coordinates of the touched vertical axis as the y coordinate and the coordinates of the touched horizontal axis as the x coordinate, it is possible to select the specified coordinate location without directly touching the small screen 2. Is.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the wearable information terminal shown in FIG. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing input signal processing for designating xy coordinates by regarding the vertical and horizontal axes of the frame as the y-axis and the x-axis, respectively. As shown in FIG. 17, the wearable information terminal 1a detects contact with each vertical side of the rectangular frame 3 (the vertical side is a side whose axial direction coincides with the vertical direction of the characters displayed on the screen). Each of the units 431 and 432 is arranged, and each of the contact detection units 433 and 434 is arranged on each side (the side is the side whose axial direction coincides with the horizontal direction of the characters displayed on the screen). Will be done.

As shown in FIG. 18, the operation conversion unit 22 acquires an input signal indicating that X1 (x3, y3) on the contact detection unit 434 and the point Y1 (x1, y1) on the contact detection unit 431 are touched at the same time. Then, an operation signal indicating that the coordinates P1 (xa3, ya1) on the screen corresponding to the x-coordinate x3 of the point X1 and the y-coordinate y1 of the point Y1 are specified is generated. After that, based on the time-series change of the input signal acquired from each of the contact detection units 431 and 434 output as the touch positions X1 and Y1 transition to the touch positions X2 (x4, y4) and Y2, respectively. , It is determined that the selected position in the screen 2 has changed to P2 (xa4, ya2).

The operation conversion unit 22 calculates the predetermined distance from the origin O to P1 and the distance from the origin O to P2, and calculates (OP1 / OP2) as the enlargement ratio. The operation conversion unit 22 outputs the enlargement ratio to the display control unit 23. The display control unit 23 enlarges and displays the rectangular area including the diagonal OP1 according to the enlargement ratio. Although FIG. 17 shows an example of enlarged display, reduced display may be performed if P2 is closer to the origin O than P1.

In this example, when the operation conversion unit 22 acquires an input signal indicating that each of two different contact detection units, for example, 431 and 434, has detected the user's contact operation, the screen is displayed based on these two input signals. Specify the coordinates of the above one point. Then, when the operation conversion unit 22 acquires an input signal indicating that each of the two different contact detection units has detected an operation of continuously changing the contact position after detecting the user's contact operation, the user's contact The screen is enlarged according to the amount of point movement from the first point P1 on the screen specified when the operation is first detected to the second point P2 on the screen specified when the change of the contact position of the user is completed ( (Or reduce) The operation signal is generated, and the display control unit 23 enlarges or reduces the screen according to the operation signal.

In this example, the map display is taken as an example, but it is not limited to this, and other applications may be used. Further, in this example, the operation is performed using two sides, vertical and horizontal, but the operation may be performed by utilizing three sides or four sides. In that case, for example, when a multi-screen is displayed on the screen 2, it is conceivable to operate a touch sensor or the like that can independently control each screen by utilizing three sides or four sides.

(Example of using a pressure sensor together)
FIG. 19 shows an operation example of a wearable information terminal that uses a pressure sensor as the contact detection unit 4. The wearable information terminal 1b can detect the strength of the touch by using the pressure sensor as the contact detection unit 4. Then, for example, a determination operation can be input by strong pressing. After selecting a specific location by the method described in each example described above, there is a usage method such as inputting a determination operation by pressing the frame 3.

When the contact detection unit 4 is not used as a pressure sensor, a physical button may be arranged and a determination operation may be input by pressing the button.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing another operation example of the wearable information terminal 1b that uses the pressure sensor as the contact detection unit 4. For example, when the frame 3 is pressed weakly, a screen operation such as screen scrolling is performed (left figure in FIG. 20: the screen scrolls to the left), and when the frame 3 is strongly pressed, a determination operation is input (center view in FIG. 20). In the example of FIG. 20, the music screen is activated by selecting the music screen and performing the determination operation (right figure of FIG. 20).

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an operation example of the wearable information terminal 1c provided with a pressure-sensitive sensor on the back surface of the frame. For example, the contact detection unit 4 is arranged not only on the front surface of the frame 3 (around the screen 2) but also on the back surface (bottom surface 3a) of the frame 3 which is in contact with a part of the wearer's body. The hardware configuration in which the pressure sensor is arranged on the bottom surface 3a of the frame 3 has already been described with reference to FIG. 3B. As shown in FIG. 21, the user pinches the frame 3 and presses the screen 2 toward a part of the body (arm in the figure) in contact with the wearable information terminal 1c, for example, upward (arrow A7). It enables screen operations such as scrolling up and moving the pointer icon 100 up.

Further, FIG. 22 is a diagram showing another operation example of the wearable information terminal 1c provided with a pressure-sensitive sensor on the back surface of the frame. As shown in FIG. 22, the user pinches the frame 3 and presses it toward a part of the body (arm in the figure) in contact with the wearable information terminal 1c, for example, in the depth direction (for the operation of pressing against the user's arm). By (corresponding), the decision operation can be input.

(Phone app)
FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an operation example in the telephone application. The wearable information terminal 1 of FIG. 23 divides the periphery of the frame 3 into twelve, and arranges the contact detection unit 4 in each of the divided regions of the frame 3. Each division area is provided so as to correspond to the position where 1 to 12 of the clock face are arranged. That is, the frame 3 of the wearable information terminal 1d is regarded as the dial of the watch, and the contact detection unit corresponding to the dial 1 outputs the input signal of 1 when the touch operation is detected, and similarly, the dials 2, 3 and The contact detection unit at the position corresponding to each of ... 9 outputs the input signals of 2, 3, ... 9, respectively. The contact detection unit at the position corresponding to 10 on the dial may be configured to output an input signal of the number 0 when the touch operation is detected. Further, the contact detection unit at the position corresponding to 11 on the dial may be assigned an ENTER key, a # symbol, or a decimal point when functioning as a calculator.

When used in a telephone application, as shown in FIG. 23, a telephone can be made by operating the frame 3. For example, when you want to make a call to "119", you can make a call to "119" by tapping the parts corresponding to "1" and "9" in frame 3 (left figure in FIG. 23). figure).

The telephone number does not necessarily have to be three digits. In addition, it does not have to be the telephone number itself. For example, a speed dial registered in the phone book in advance (for example, a speed dial "1" has a home phone number registered, and tapping "1" makes a call to the home. It doesn't matter. Further, the numbers may or may not be displayed on the screen 2, and the above operation is possible in either case. Further, it is assumed that the above operation can be performed even when the screen 2 has a triangular shape, a quadrangular shape, or a polygonal shape more than the circular shape. Also, about input methods such as "0" which is not on the clock face but exists in the telephone number, and "10", "11" and "12" which are on the clock face but not in the telephone number. Can be set independently by the user. For example, the telephone number "0" may be replaced with the clock face "10", and the clock face "11" and "12" may be assigned to redialing, answering machine, etc. ..

Further, as mentioned above, in the computer (calculator application) application as well, by assigning a number from 1 to 0 to the frame 3, it is possible to execute arithmetic processing such as four arithmetic operations by touching the frame.

(Screen scrolling)
FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a frame operation example (screen scrolling). For example, when displaying a screen that does not fit in one screen such as an e-mail, as shown in FIG. 24, by tracing the frame 3 of the wearable information terminal 1 clockwise (in the direction of arrow C2) with a finger (left in FIG. 24). (Fig.), The screen can be scrolled downward (arrow B7) (right figure in FIG. 24). As a result, it is not necessary to directly touch the screen 2 as in the conventional case, so that the screen can be operated while checking the displayed contents. Examples of applications that can be expected to have the effect of this embodiment include a memo pad and a telephone directory in addition to e-mail. In the frame operation of this example, the operation conversion unit 22 receives the position where the contact detection unit 4 is touched in advance and the time series change (input signal indicating movement along the circumferential direction) of the input signal thereafter, and this input signal. Is converted into a screen scroll signal of the frame and output to the display control unit 23.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing another example of frame operation (screen scrolling). By detecting the position at the start of tracing of the frame 3 with the contact detection unit 4, the movement of the finger is reflected in the screen operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 25 (a), the screen can be scrolled up and down by starting tracing from a portion of the frame 3 corresponding to the vicinity of 12 o'clock of the so-called analog clock (arrow C3). Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 25B, the screen can be scrolled left and right by starting tracing from a portion corresponding to around 9 o'clock (arrow C4). In the frame operation of this example, the operation conversion unit 22 acquires the position where the contact detection unit 4 is first touched and the input signal to be output in accordance with the subsequent tracing operation, and the time-series change (along the circumferential direction). The direction of the touch operation is determined based on the input signal indicating the movement), the screen scroll direction according to the touch operation is determined, and the screen scroll signal in that direction is generated and output to the display control unit 23. It will be realized.

26 and 27 are diagrams showing other examples of frame operation (screen scrolling). As shown in FIG. 26A, when it is desired to scroll the screen 2 downward (in the direction of arrow B8), it can be realized by touching the lower part of the frame 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 26B, when the screen 2 is desired to be scrolled to the upper right (direction of arrow B9), it can be realized by touching the upper right of the frame 3.

As shown in FIG. 27, the display screen may be configured to scroll to the right (in the direction of arrow B10) by touching the right side of the frame 3. In the frame operation of FIGS. 26 and 27, the frame 3 is divided radially from the center of the screen 2 in all directions of 360 ° regardless of the shape such as a circular shape or a quadrangular shape, and the operation conversion unit 22 comes into contact with the frame operation. Acquiring an input signal indicating the touch position of the detection unit 4, converting the input signal into a screen scroll signal that scrolls the screen along a line connecting the center of the screen 2 and the touch position, and outputting the input signal to the display control unit 23. Is realized by.

(Sound controller)
FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of frame operation on the sound controller screen. For example, in a sound controller in a video or music playback application, it is generally known that it is possible to select a playback location, volume, etc. in a song using a displayed bar. However, on a small screen, it is difficult to operate a bar that is displayed even smaller with a fingertip. Therefore, by tracing the frame 3, the selection position on the bar 60 of the sound controller is shifted according to the amount traced by the operation conversion unit 22, and operations such as selecting music, volume, and a playback location in the song are performed. It may be configured to be feasible.

(Split screen)
FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a frame operation (screen division) of the wearable information terminal 1. A plurality of contact detection units 4 are arranged on the frame 3, or one contact detection unit 4 is arranged so that the operation conversion unit 22 logically divides and controls the contact detection units 4a 1 and 4a 2 independently. Make it controllable. For example, in the wearable information terminal 1 of FIG. 29, the contact detection unit is arranged in an annular shape with respect to the annular frame 3 (see FIG. 6). If the direction orthogonal to the mounting portion 5 is defined as the screen horizontal direction, the contact detection portions are divided and arranged in the upper and lower semicircles formed by dividing the frame 3 in the screen horizontal direction, and each can be controlled independently. .. For example, when the screen 2 is divided into upper and lower parts, in FIG. 6, the contact detection units 401, 402, 403, 413, 414, 415 (collectively referred to as the contact detection unit 4a1) are used for the frame operation of the upper screen. The operation conversion unit 22 defines, and the input signal indicating that the contact detection unit 4a1 is touched is converted into the operation signal on the upper screen. Further, the input signal indicating that the contact detection units 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409 (these are collectively referred to as the contact detection unit 4a2) is touched is converted into an operation signal on the lower screen.

The wearable information terminal 1 configured in this way has the effects described below. For example, if an incoming call is notified while the user is browsing the map, two or more screens are simultaneously displayed on the screen 2 of the wearable information terminal 1 (Fig. 29, left). .. When selecting the call operation, the touch sensor arranged on the screen 2 may be pressed, or the contact detection unit 4a2 may be pressed and the enter key may be input. If you want to magnify and browse the map at the same time after picking up the phone and entering the state of being in a call (center figure of FIG. 29), trace the contact detection unit 4a1 with your finger (arrow C5) to enlarge the map. Can be input (Fig. 29, left figure). That is, the effect of this example is that by arranging the contact detection units 4a1 and 4a2 separately on the frame 3, appropriate independent control according to each display screen is possible even in a multi-screen.

In this example, "answering an incoming call" and "enlarging the map" were given as examples, but of course, the explanation is not limited to this, and multi-screen or multi-operation is possible. Other screen operations may be used under the necessary circumstances.

30 and 32 are diagrams showing a recovery operation from a malfunction of the wearable information terminal 1. Further, FIG. 31 is a schematic configuration diagram of a wearable information terminal 1e that accepts a recovery operation from a malfunction. The "malfunction" described here means that the display content does not change as intended by the user in response to an operation using a finger such as a touch or a tap. If the display content does not transition as intended by the user, the display content can be returned to the original screen by inputting a "return" operation (return operation) by some other operation.

As a specific user operation, the frame 3 is double-tapped as shown in FIG. 30 (a). When the contact detection unit 4 detects the double tap and outputs an input signal indicating the double tap to the operation conversion unit 22, the operation conversion unit 22 converts the double tap input signal into a return signal and outputs it to the display control unit 23. The display control unit 23 reads the screen information immediately before stored in the screen management information storage unit 25, and shifts the screen to the immediately preceding state based on the screen information.

In the case of the wearable information terminal 1e in which the touch panel 4c is laminated on the screen 2 instead of the double tap (see FIG. 31), the tap on the screen 2 may be a return operation (FIG. 30 (b)).

Further, the operation of tracing the screen 2 together with the mounting portion 5 (FIG. 32 (a), arrow D1) may be the return operation. In this case, a contact detection unit is further arranged around the frame 3 of the mounting unit 5 in advance, and when the operation conversion unit 22 acquires an input signal of the contact detection unit (not shown) arranged in the mounting unit 5, it becomes a return signal. It may be converted.

When the operation of tracing the screen 2 together with the mounting unit 5 is performed, the contact detection unit 4 arranged across the screen 2 detects the touch operation within a predetermined time. Therefore, the contact detection unit 4 arranged across the screen 2 detects the touch operation within a time (for example, within 1 second) set for determining that it is the operation time of the finger tracing the screen 2 together with the mounting unit 5. If so, the operation conversion unit 22 may convert the input signals based on those touch operations into return signals.

As further shown in FIG. 32 (b), placing a physical restoration operation button 1 9 to frame 3, "returns to its original" on the return operation button 19 assigned to the operation, the input signal of the return operation button 1 9 The operation conversion unit 22 may acquire the signal and convert it into a return signal.

In this example, some examples have been given, but it is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the operation content for inputting "Return" changes depending on the application started by the user. ..

According to the present embodiment, by using the frame 3 as an operation member, it is possible to operate the screen while directly touching the screen with a finger at the time of operation and thereby preventing the screen from being hidden and disappearing. In addition, even when a specific part of the screen is smaller than a finger, the screen can be operated by operating a frame larger than the specific part without directly touching the specific part of the screen. Sex improves. Moreover, since it is not necessary to directly touch the screen, it is possible to prevent hand stains caused by touching the screen.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications in addition to the above-mentioned modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to the one including all the described configurations. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add / delete / replace other configurations with respect to a part of the configurations of each embodiment.

Further, each of the above configurations, functions, processing units, processing devices and the like may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them by, for example, an integrated circuit. Further, each of the above configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by the processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function.

For example, the screen operation described in the present specification means that the icon or the like of the operation target displayed on the screen 2 is substantially the same size as a part of the body represented by a finger or the like for operation. Includes all content that is difficult to operate because of its existence. For example, operations such as screen scrolling, icon selection, input, and determination. Further, in the above embodiment, the description has been given using an example of a wristwatch-type wearable information terminal, but a ring-shaped shape may be used, for example. Further, the screen 2 and the frame 3 of the wearable information terminal 1 have also been described with examples of a circular shape and a quadrangular shape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and even if the shape is a triangle or other polygonal shape, the shape is not limited to this. I do not care.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example of a touch sensor or a pressure sensor has been described in the contact detection unit 4, but for example, another gyro sensor may be arranged (see FIG. 33). When arranging a touch sensor or a pressure sensor, for example, in the case of a watch-type wearable information terminal 1, it is necessary to operate using the fingers of the hand that is not worn, and it is necessary to use both hands. As shown in 33, the gyro sensor 70 is mounted in the frame 3, and the gyro sensor 70 is connected to the controller 20. If the amount of change in the angular velocity of the wearable information terminal 1f is detected and the amount of change in the angular velocity is converted into an operation signal by the operation conversion unit 22, it is possible to operate with only the wearing arm. One hand is free and the user's degree of freedom is improved. As an operation example using the gyro sensor, when the arm on which the wearable information terminal 1 is attached is moved so that the wearable information terminal 1f tilts to the lower right (lower left), the amount of change in the angular velocity at that time is displayed in the right direction of the screen (screen). It may be converted into a scroll operation signal to the left). In this case, since the gyro sensor realizes the function of detecting the user operation, the gyro sensor functions as the operation detection unit. Further, as the operation detection unit, only the pressure sensitive sensor (back surface contact detection unit) may be provided on the back surface of the bottom surface of the frame 3.

1 ... Wearable information terminal 2 ... Display unit 3 ... Frame 4 ... Contact detection unit 4a ... Contact detection unit 1
4b ... Contact detection unit 2
5 ... Wearing part 6 ... Hand operated by the user 7 ... Hand for wearing the wearable information terminal 8 ... Arm for wearing the wearable information terminal 9 ... Button 100 ... Pointer icon

Claims (7)

A wearable information terminal that can be worn on the user's arm
With the main body
A circular display unit that has a screen and displays information on the screen,
A control unit that executes display processing on the display unit,
It is equipped with an operation detection unit that can detect a plurality of types of input operations specified by the user.
The main body portion includes a frame having an outer peripheral portion, and includes a frame.
The operation detection unit includes a touch panel arranged in an annular shape inside the outer peripheral portion of the frame and laminated on the screen.
The control unit
The correspondence relationship between each of the plurality of areas of the screen and the portion of the operation detection unit is stored.
Can run multiple applications,
The display unit is controlled so as to display a different application in each of the plurality of areas of the screen.
When the operation detection unit detects an input operation along the circumference of the user, information indicating which position of the operation detection unit is detected and the type of the input operation are acquired.
According to the position where the input operation is detected, the application displayed in the area of the screen is selected with reference to the stored correspondence.
Selection is made based on whether or not the input operation is an operation in which a predetermined position of the operation detection unit arranged in the annular shape is the operation start position, and whether or not the detection position of the input operation is moved or the direction of movement. Distinguish and execute the display processing for the application
A wearable information terminal characterized in that the selected application is controlled independently of the application displayed in another area of the screen. In the wearable information terminal according to claim 1,
A wearable information terminal characterized in that the operation start position is a position corresponding to 12 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 6 o'clock or 3 o'clock of an analog clock. In the wearable information terminal according to claim 1,
The operation detection unit
It is further arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the frame and is composed of a touch sensor.
When the movement of the position where the user touches the touch sensor is detected as the input operation, the wearable information terminal is characterized in that the screen display is changed according to the movement and at least one of the positions where the user first touches the touch sensor. .. A wearable information terminal that can be worn on the user's arm
With the main body
A circular display unit that has a screen and displays information on the screen,
A control unit that executes display processing on the display unit,
Equipped with an operation detection unit that detects user input operations
The main body includes a frame having an outer peripheral portion and a switch physically provided on the frame.
The operation detection unit includes a touch panel arranged in an annular shape inside the outer peripheral portion of the frame and laminated on the screen.
The control unit
The correspondence relationship between each of the plurality of areas of the screen and the portion of the operation detection unit is stored.
Can run multiple applications,
The display unit is controlled so as to display a different application in each of the plurality of areas of the screen.
When the operation detection unit detects an input operation along the circumference of the user, information indicating which position of the operation detection unit is detected is acquired.
According to the position where the input operation is detected, the application displayed in the area of the screen is selected with reference to the stored correspondence.
Selection is made based on whether or not the input operation is an operation in which a predetermined position of the operation detection unit arranged in the annular shape is the operation start position, and whether or not the detection position of the input operation is moved or the direction of movement. Distinguish and execute the display processing for the application
A wearable information terminal that controls the display unit so as to transition the screen to the immediately preceding state for the selected application when the press of the switch is detected. In the wearable information terminal according to claim 1 or 4.
The control unit
A pointer icon can be displayed on the display unit.
Further, when the operation detection unit detects an input operation along the circumference of the user, both x and y of the display coordinates of the pointer icon are set according to the detection position of the operation detection unit that detected the input operation. A wearable information terminal characterized in that the display position of the pointer icon is controlled so as to be changed. In the wearable information terminal according to claim 1 or 4.
The control unit
A pointer icon can be displayed on the display unit.
Further, when the operation detection unit detects an input operation along the circumference of the user, the display position of the pointer icon is controlled along the circumference of a circle having the same center as the circular display unit. A featured wearable information terminal. In the wearable information terminal according to claim 1,
A wearable information terminal characterized in that the display process executed by the control unit is a control for scrolling and displaying the display contents of the application being executed in the vertical or horizontal direction.

Images