JP7694281B2 - Information processing device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device and a program.

Patent document 1 discloses a display input device that counts the number of times a finger touches a transparent touch panel input surface, and when the counted number of times reaches a preset value, the transparent touch panel goes into cleaning mode and changes the display on the display surface that corresponds to the finger touch coordinates where the transparent touch panel input surface was touched.

Patent Document 2 discloses an operating device that acquires video and audio of a user, and when the user performs an action that would contaminate the user, such as sneezing, identifies the contaminated part of the user, and when it detects that the contaminated part is approaching an operating unit, creates notification information that allows the user to operate the operating unit without touching the contaminated part, and notifies the user.

Patent document 3 discloses an operating device that distinguishes between contaminated areas where the touch panel is contaminated and non-contaminated areas where the touch panel is not contaminated, and if a screen display button that is displayed in a contaminated area can be displayed in a non-contaminated area, moves the screen display button to the non-contaminated area that is determined to be displayable and displays it on the display panel.

JP 2004-265383 A JP 2018-084974 A JP 2018-084975 A

When a touch panel is used by an unspecified number of users, there is a risk of infection through contact with the touch panel.

One method for reducing the above risk is to store the contact position on the touch panel as a contaminated area, which is an area where there is a possibility of infection, and when a different user operates the touch panel, an operation reception image such as an operation button is displayed in a non-contaminated area, which is an area that is not one of the stored contaminated areas.

However, with the above configuration, if the contaminated area increases, there is a possibility that there will be no non-contaminated area in which the operation reception image can be displayed. In this case, it will become impossible to perform operations unless the history of the contaminated area is erased, for example, following cleaning, etc.

The object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device and program that can reduce the possibility of an operation reception image not being able to be displayed on a touch panel, compared to a configuration in which a contaminated area is maintained unless the history of the contaminated area is erased following cleaning, etc.

An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a memory and a processor,
The processor,
When a user is about to use the device, an operation reception image for receiving an input from the user is displayed on the touch panel;
storing an area including a place where a contact object has come into contact with the touch panel and operated, as a contaminated area in the memory;
Identifying the contacting object from an image of the contacting object captured by an imaging device;
When a new user is about to use the device, the device controls the display device so that an operation reception image is displayed on a non-contaminated area other than the contaminated area of the touch panel;
When a set time period set according to the identified contact object has elapsed since the last time a location included in the contaminated area was operated, the contaminated area stored in the memory is changed to a non-contaminated area.

The second aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is the information processing device of the first aspect, in which the processor sets the set time to a time whose length varies depending on the material of the contact object.

The third aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is the information processing device of the second aspect, in which the processor sets the set time to a longer time when the contacting object is a finger than when the contacting object is an object other than a finger.

The information processing device of the fourth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device of the second aspect, in which the processor sets the set time to a longer time when the contact object is a finger not wearing a glove than when the contact object is a finger wearing a glove.

The information processing device of the fifth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device of the first aspect, in which, when the contacting object is a finger, the processor sets the set time to a time whose length varies depending on how the contacting object makes contact with the touch panel.

The sixth aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is the fifth aspect of the information processing device, in which the processor sets the set time to a longer time when an operation is performed by touching the touch panel with the pad of a fingertip than when an operation is performed by touching the touch panel with the joint part on the dorsal side of the finger.

An information processing device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the information processing device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the imaging device is an infrared camera capable of detecting a temperature of an object that has been imaged;
The processor identifies the material of the contact object by referring to the temperature of the contact object detected by the imaging device.

The eighth aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is an information processing device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, in which the processor changes the entire area on the touch panel to a non-contaminated area when it receives that the touch panel has been cleaned.

The ninth aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is an information processing device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, in which the processor changes the entire area on the touch panel to a non-contaminated area when it detects from an image captured by the imaging device that the touch panel has been cleaned.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the information processing device of any one of the first to ninth aspects, the memory stores, for each contaminated area, information on a user who performed an operation when a non-contaminated area was determined to be a contaminated area;
When a user operates the device, the processor displays the operation reception image as a non-contaminated area that has become a contaminated area as a result of the user's operation.

A program according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention includes a step of displaying, when a user is about to use the device, an operation acceptance image for accepting an input from the user on a touch panel;
storing an area including a place where a contact object has come into contact with the touch panel and operated as a contaminated area;
identifying the contact object from an image of the contact object captured by an imaging device;
When a new user is about to use the device, a control step is performed so that an operation acceptance image is displayed on a non-contaminated area other than the contaminated area of the touch panel;
The computer executes a step of changing the stored contaminated area to a non-contaminated area when a set time set in accordance with the identified contact object has elapsed since the last time a location included in the contaminated area was operated.

The information processing device of the first aspect of the present invention can reduce the possibility that the operation reception image cannot be displayed on the touch panel, compared to a configuration in which the contaminated area is maintained unless the history of the contaminated area is erased following cleaning or the like.

According to the information processing device of the second aspect of the present invention, the set time until a contaminated area is changed to a non-contaminated area can be set to a length according to the characteristics of the material of the object that the user contacts when operating the touch panel.

According to the information processing device of the third aspect of the present invention, an area on the touch panel where a user operates with a finger can be considered a contaminated area for a longer period of time than an area operated with an object other than a finger.

According to the information processing device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, an area on the touch panel where a user operates directly with a finger can be considered a contaminated area for a longer period of time than an area operated while wearing gloves.

According to the information processing device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the set time until a contaminated area is changed to a non-contaminated area can be set to different lengths depending on the manner in which the user touches the touch panel with his/her finger.

According to the sixth aspect of the information processing device of the present invention, an area where a user operates a touch panel with the pad of his/her finger can be considered a contaminated area for a longer period of time than an area where a user operates with the joint part on the back of the finger.

According to the information processing device of the seventh aspect of the present invention, the material of the contacting object can be identified with higher accuracy compared to identifying the material of the contacting object from only the captured image.

The information processing device of the eighth aspect of the present invention can prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the entire area of the touch panel becomes a contaminated area and the operation reception image cannot be displayed.

According to the information processing device of the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to detect that the touch panel has been cleaned without the user having to input that the touch panel has been cleaned, thereby preventing the occurrence of a situation in which the entire area of the touch panel becomes a contaminated area and the operation reception image cannot be displayed.

According to the information processing device of the tenth aspect of the present invention, when the same user operates the touch panel multiple times, it is possible to prevent the contaminated area from being unnecessarily increased.

The program of the eleventh aspect of the present invention can reduce the possibility that the operation reception image cannot be displayed on the touch panel, compared to a configuration in which the contaminated area is maintained unless the history of the contaminated area is erased following cleaning or the like.

1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing how a user operating an image forming apparatus 10 is photographed by a camera 40. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a reset time management table stored in the data storage unit 36. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a contaminated area management table stored in the data storage unit 36. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing how the operation screen of a touch panel 70 is divided into six areas 1 to 6 for management. 13 is a diagram showing an example of coordinates when a contaminated area is managed by coordinates on an operation screen of a touch panel 70. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a contaminated area management table in a case where the contaminated area is managed by coordinates. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation performed when a user approaches the image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention and performs an operation. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display in which operation buttons are displayed while avoiding a contaminated area. 12 is a diagram showing how a user A performs an operation on the touch panel 70 in the state shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the contaminated area management table after a contaminated area has been added as a result of an operation by user A shown in FIG. 12 . FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed on a touch panel 70 when a user D approaches the image forming apparatus 10 to perform an operation. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the contaminated area management table after a contaminated area has been added as a result of a user D's operation on the operation screen shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen displayed on a touch panel 70 when a user E approaches the image forming apparatus 10 to perform an operation. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen when a user inputs that he or she has operated a touch panel 70. FIG.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows the system configuration of an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention is composed of an image forming device 10, a terminal device 20, and a camera 40, which are interconnected via a network 30.

The image forming device 10 is an information processing device, also known as a multifunction device, that has multiple functions such as printing, scanning, copying, and facsimile functions.

The image forming device 10 is installed, for example, in a store such as a convenience store or in an office, and is used by an unspecified number of users.

The terminal device 20 connects to the image forming device 10 via the network 30 to transmit and receive data. The camera 40 is an imaging device that is installed, for example, on the ceiling and is set up to capture an image of a user operating the image forming device 10.

Figure 2 shows how the camera 40 captures an image of a user operating the image forming device 10. Referring to Figure 2, it can be seen that the camera 40 captures an image of the user operating the touch panel 70 of the image forming device 10.

Note that while FIG. 2 shows the camera 40 configured as a separate device from the image forming device 10, the camera 40 may also be attached as part of the image forming device 10.

Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming device 10 in the information processing system of this embodiment is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming device 10 has a CPU 11, a memory 12, a storage device 13 such as a hard disk drive, a communication interface (abbreviated as IF) 14 that transmits and receives data to and from external devices via a network 30, a user interface (abbreviated as UI) device 15 that includes a touch panel or liquid crystal display and a keyboard, a scan unit 16, and an image forming unit 17. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 18.

The CPU 11 is a processor that executes a predetermined process based on a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13 to control the operation of the image forming device 10. In this embodiment, the CPU 11 is described as reading and executing a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13, but this is not limited to this. This control program may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. For example, this program may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disc such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or in a semiconductor memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a memory card. In addition, this control program may be obtained from an external device via a communication line connected to the communication interface 14.

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming device 10 that is realized by executing the above control program.

As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming device 10 of this embodiment includes an authentication unit 31, an operation input unit 32, a display unit 33, a data transmission/reception unit 34, a control unit 35, a data storage unit 36, an image output unit 37, and an image reading unit 38.

The authentication unit 31 authenticates a user who uses the image forming device 10 and identifies the user. For example, the authentication unit 31 may authenticate the user by inputting an ID and a password, or may authenticate the user by reading identification information on an IC card via close-proximity wireless communication. The authentication unit 31 may also authenticate the user by performing face recognition processing on a facial image of the user captured by the camera 40.

The display unit 33 is controlled by the control unit 35 and displays various information to the user. The operation input unit 32 inputs various operation information performed by the user. The operation input unit 32 and the display unit 33 together form a touch panel 70. Here, the touch panel 70 is a component that combines a display device such as a liquid crystal panel and an operation input device capable of detecting a contact position on the liquid crystal panel into a single component.

The data transmission/reception unit 34 transmits and receives data between the terminal device 20 and external devices such as the camera 40.

The control unit 35 controls the overall operation of the image forming device 10, and controls components such as the image output unit 37 and image reading unit 38 to perform various processes such as copying, printing, and scanning based on user instructions input from the operation input unit 32. The control unit 35 also manages the area including the location where the user performed an operation as a contaminated area for a set period of time, and controls the position of the operation buttons displayed on the display unit 33 so that the operation buttons are displayed in a non-contaminated area other than the contaminated area. Note that the operation buttons are an example of an operation acceptance image displayed on the touch panel 70, and scroll bars and other elements other than the operation buttons are also included in the operation acceptance image.

The image output unit 37 outputs an image onto a recording medium such as printing paper based on the control of the control unit 35. The image reading unit 38 reads an original image from a set original based on the control of the control unit 35.

The data storage unit 36 temporarily stores various data such as print data generated by the control unit 35, and stores a contaminated area management table and a reset time management table. The contaminated area management table is a table for managing the above-mentioned contaminated areas. The reset time management table is a table for managing the reset time, which is the time it takes to return a contaminated area to a non-contaminated area, depending on the type of object that comes into contact with the touch panel 70.

Here, the virus that causes the infectious disease becomes inactive after a certain amount of time has passed while it is away from the human body, and loses its ability to infect the human body. It is known that the time it takes for a virus to become inactive after leaving the human body varies depending on the type of virus, the surrounding environment such as the temperature and humidity, and the type of object the virus is attached to. For example, it is known that the new coronavirus can remain active for up to 72 hours on plastic surfaces, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to 9 hours on human skin.

Therefore, even if a user is infected with a virus and transfers the virus to the touch panel 70 while operating the touch panel, if the operation button is not displayed at the location where the virus is active until the virus becomes inactive, other users will be prevented from operating the location where the active virus is attached. Also, even if the virus does not become completely inactive, it is believed that the possibility of the virus infecting the human body decreases over time.

In other words, the reset time means a set time until a location operated by a certain user is treated as a contaminated area assuming that a pathogen such as a virus is attached thereto and the contaminated area is considered to return to a non-contaminated area as the pathogen loses its infectiousness. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a certain user operates the touch panel 70, the control unit 35 assumes that the area including the location is a contaminated area and does not display the operation buttons. Then, when the set reset time has elapsed since the control unit 35 changed the non-contaminated area to a contaminated area, it returns the contaminated area to a non-contaminated area and makes it possible to display the operation buttons. Note that the above-mentioned pathogens include not only viruses but also various bacteria that cause infectious diseases.

An example of a reset time management table that manages the above-mentioned reset times is shown in Figure 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, the reset time management table associates the type of contact object used when operating the touch panel 70 with the reset time. For example, the reset time is set to "9 hours" when the contact object is a "finger (without gloves)". In contrast, the reset time is set to "4 hours" when the contact object is a "touch pen". In other words, the reset time when the contact object is a "touch pen" is set to be shorter than the reset time when the contact object is a "finger (without gloves)".

In this way, the control unit 35 sets the reset time to a time whose length differs depending on the material of the contacting object. Specifically, the control unit 35 sets the reset time to a time whose length differs between when the contacting object is a finger and when the contacting object is an object other than a finger. For example, when the contacting object is a finger, the control unit 35 sets the reset time to a longer time than when the contacting object is an object other than a finger.

The reason why the length of the reset time when the user operates the touch panel 70 with a finger is different from the length of the reset time when the user operates the touch panel 70 with an object other than a finger is because there is a difference in the likelihood that a virus or other pathogen will be attached to the touch panel 70. In general, the likelihood of a virus being attached to a human finger is higher than the likelihood of a virus being attached to a touch pen or the like.

In other words, when a user operates the touch panel 70 by directly touching it with a finger, there is a higher possibility that a virus will adhere to the touch panel 70 than when the user operates the touch panel 70 by touching it with an object such as a touch pen. Therefore, by setting different lengths of reset time depending on whether the object that touches the touch panel 70 is a finger or something other than a finger, the reset time is set according to the possibility that a virus will be attached.

The control unit 35 also sets different lengths of time as the reset time when the contact object is a gloved finger and when the contact object is a gloved finger. For example, when the contact object is a gloved finger, the control unit 35 sets a longer reset time than when the contact object is a gloved finger. The reason for setting it in this way is that it is considered that there is a lower possibility of viruses being attached to the touch panel 70 when the touch panel 70 is operated with a gloved finger than when the touch panel 70 is operated with an ungloved finger.

When the contacting object is a finger, the control unit 35 may set the reset time to a time that varies depending on how the contacting object contacts the touch panel 70. For example, when an operation is performed by contacting the touch panel 70 with the pad of the fingertip, the control unit 35 may set the reset time to a time that is longer than when an operation is performed by contacting the touch panel 70 with the joint part on the dorsal side of the finger. Setting the reset time depending on how the contacting object contacts the touch panel 70 is one aspect of setting the reset time depending on the contacting object.

The reason why the length of the reset time is made different depending on how the user touches the touch panel 70 when operating the touch panel 70 with their finger is that the possibility of the virus being attached varies depending on the location on the same finger. When unconscious, people use the pads of their fingertips to grasp and operate objects. Therefore, it is considered that the pads of the fingertips are more likely to have viruses attached than other locations. Also, since the joints on the back of the finger are generally less likely to touch objects, it is considered that the pads of the fingertips are less likely to have viruses attached there.

In other words, when an operation is performed by touching the touch panel 70 with the pad of a fingertip, there is a higher possibility that pathogens such as viruses will adhere to the touch panel 70 than when an operation is performed by touching the touch panel 70 with the joint part on the back of the finger. Therefore, by setting the reset time to a different length depending on how the finger touches the touch panel 70, the reset time can be set according to the possibility of a virus being adhered.

When a user attempts to use the device, the control unit 35 causes operation buttons that accept input from the user to be displayed on the touch panel 70. Here, the control unit 35 stores in the data storage unit 36 an area on the touch panel 70 that includes a location where an object has come into contact with and operated on the touch panel 70 as a contaminated area. The control unit 35 then identifies the object from an image of the object captured by the camera 40. The control unit 35 then refers to the reset time management table and sets a reset time for the contaminated area that corresponds to the identified object.

Here, the camera 40 may be an infrared camera capable of detecting the temperature of an imaged object by visualizing infrared radiation emitted from the object. In this case, the control unit 35 identifies the material of the contact object by referring to the temperature of the contact object detected by the camera 40. Specifically, even when the user is operating the touch panel 70 with his/her finger, the control unit 35 determines whether the user is wearing gloves or operating the touch panel 70 directly without wearing gloves based on the surface temperature of the finger.

When a new user attempts to use the device, the control unit 35 controls the display of operation buttons in a non-contaminated area of the touch panel 70 other than the contaminated area.

Here, the control unit 35 stores information about the area including the operation position on the touch panel 70 where the contact object contacted and operated, the operation date and time, and the operating user in the data storage unit 36 as a contaminated area management table in association with a reset time. The control unit 35 then refers to this contaminated area management table, and changes the contaminated area to a non-contaminated area when the reset time set according to the identified contact object has elapsed since the last time a location included in the contaminated area was operated.

An example of a contaminated area management table stored in the data storage unit 36 is shown in FIG. 6.

In the contaminated area management table shown in FIG. 6, in order to facilitate management of the contaminated areas, the operation screen of the touch panel 70 is divided into six areas 1 to 6 as shown in FIG. 7 for management purposes. For ease of explanation, FIG. 7 shows the case where the operation screen of the touch panel 70 is divided into six areas, but in reality it may be divided into many more areas.

Referring to the contaminated area management table in Figure 6, it can be seen that for each contaminated area where an operation button cannot be displayed, the area number indicating the location of the contaminated area, the reset time, the operation date and time, and information on the operating user are associated and stored.

When a user operates an area on the touch panel 70, the operated area is registered as a contaminated area in the contaminated area management table in association with the operation date and time and the operating user's information, and a reset time according to the type of contact object is set for the contaminated area.

In the contaminated area management table shown in Figure 6, for example, it can be seen that "Area 6" is registered as a contaminated area, the reset time is 9 hours, the operation date and time is 9:23 on July 15, 2021, and the user who performed the operation is User B.

This contaminated area management table is updated periodically, and contaminated areas for which the reset time has passed since the operation date and time are deleted from the contaminated area management table. For example, "Area 6" registered as a contaminated area is deleted after 18:23 on July 15, 2021, nine hours after the operation date and time of 9:23 on July 15, 2021. This process of updating the contaminated area management table may be performed periodically, such as every 30 minutes or every hour, or may be performed every time the image forming device 10 returns from a power saving state.

In addition, such contaminated areas may be managed not in units of predefined areas but by coordinates on the touch panel 70.

Figure 8 shows an example of coordinates when managing contaminated areas using coordinates on the operation screen of the touch panel 70 in this way.

In the coordinate example shown in Figure 8, the top left corner of the display area of the operation screen is used as the reference point, and the X and Y coordinates are each expressed in pixels. In other words, because the width of the display area is 1000 pixels and the height is 800 pixels, the coordinates of the upper right position are expressed as (1000, 0). Similarly, the coordinates of the bottom left position of the display area are expressed as (0, 800), and the coordinates of the bottom right position of the display area are expressed as (1000, 800).

When managing a contaminated area on the operation screen as a rectangular area, it is represented, for example, by the upper left X coordinate, upper left Y coordinate, lower right X coordinate, and lower right Y coordinate of the contaminated area. The contaminated area shown in Figure 8 is represented by the coordinates (200, 650, 400, 750).

Figure 9 shows an example of a contaminated area management table when contaminated areas are managed by coordinates in this way.

Referring to the contaminated area management table shown in Figure 9, it can be seen that for each contaminated area, coordinate information indicating the extent of the contaminated area, the reset time, the operation date and time, and information on the operating user are stored in association with each other.

When the control unit 35 receives information that the touch panel 70 has been cleaned, it changes the entire area on the touch panel 70 to a non-contaminated area.

In addition, when the control unit 35 detects from the image captured by the camera 40 that the touch panel 70 has been cleaned, the control unit 35 may change the entire area on the touch panel 70 to a non-contaminated area.

Furthermore, in the contaminated area management tables shown in Figures 6 and 9, information on the user who performed the operation when a non-contaminated area became a contaminated area is stored for each contaminated area. Therefore, when a certain user operates the device, the control unit 35 may display an operation button on the touch panel 70 to mark an area that became a contaminated area as a result of the user's operation as a non-contaminated area.

For example, even if a certain area changes from a non-contaminated area to a contaminated area as a result of user A's operation of the touch panel 70, an operation button may be displayed on the contaminated area when user A subsequently attempts to operate the image forming device 10 again. This type of control is used because there is no need to prevent infection between the same users, and displaying the operation button in the same area for the same user prevents an increase in contaminated areas. In other words, when user A performs an operation, in addition to areas originally registered as non-contaminated areas, areas that have become contaminated areas due to user A's operation will also be target areas for displaying the operation button.

Next, the operation of the image forming device 10 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the following, to simplify the explanation, we will explain the case where the contaminated area is identified by a pre-defined area.

First, the flow chart in FIG. 10 shows the operation when a user approaches the image forming device 10 of this embodiment and performs an operation.

First, when the control unit 35 detects the approach of a user in step S101, the control unit 35 detects the user in step S102. Specifically, the control unit 35 detects and identifies the user who is attempting to operate the device based on the authentication result by the authentication unit 31 or the face authentication result based on an image captured by the camera 40.

Then, in step S103, the control unit 35 determines whether or not the user detection was successful. If it is determined in step S103 that the user detection was not successful, the control unit 35 ends the process because the user cannot be identified.

If user detection is successful in step S103, the control unit 35 displays operation buttons in a non-contaminated area on the touch panel 70 in step S104.

For example, FIG. 11 shows an example of a display in which operation buttons are displayed to avoid the contaminated areas when areas 4 to 6 are registered as contaminated areas as in the contaminated area management table shown in FIG. 6. Referring to FIG. 11, it can be seen that areas 4 to 6 on the operation screen of the touch panel 70 are contaminated areas, and therefore operation buttons 50 are displayed in the other non-contaminated areas.

Then, in step S105, the control unit 35 determines whether or not a user operation on the touch panel 70 has been detected. If the control unit 35 does not detect a user operation on the touch panel 70 in step S105, the control unit 35 repeats the determination until the determination result of step S105 is positive. If the control unit 35 detects a user operation on the touch panel 70 in step S105, the control unit 35 stores information on the operating user, the operation date and time, the contact object, the operation location, etc. at the time of the operation in step S106.

The control unit 35 then refers to the reset time management table described above to identify a reset time corresponding to the type of object that has come into contact with the touch panel 70, and registers this in the contaminated area management table together with information about the operating user, the date and time of operation, and the range of the contaminated area based on the location of operation.

When the user operates the touch panel 70, the control unit 35 determines in step S107 from the image captured by the camera 40 whether the operation is a cleaning operation for the touch panel 70.

If the control unit 35 determines in step S107 that the user's operation is a cleaning operation on the touch panel 70, then in step S108, the control unit 35 deletes all contaminated areas registered in the contaminated area management table and returns them to non-contaminated areas. The control unit 35 then returns to the processing of step S104 and displays operation buttons in the non-contaminated areas on the touch panel 70. In other words, the control unit 35 arranges and displays operation buttons over the entire area of the touch panel 70.

If it is determined in step S107 that the user's operation is not a cleaning operation for the touch panel 70, the control unit 35 determines in step S109 whether the user's operation has ended.

If it is determined in step S109 that the user's operation has ended, the control unit 35 ends the process. If it is determined in step S109 that the user's operation has not ended, the control unit 35 returns to the process of step S105 and waits for detection of the next operation by the user.

By executing the above-described process, when a new user attempts to start an operation on the image forming device 10, an operation button is displayed on the non-contaminated area of the touch panel 70, and the area including the area operated by the user is newly registered as a contaminated area.

Next, the process in which a new contaminated area is registered as a result of the user operating the touch panel 70 of the image forming device 10 will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 16.

In the following explanation, it is assumed that the contaminated area management table shown in FIG. 6 is registered in the data storage unit 36.

In this state, if user A approaches the image forming device 10 to perform an operation, and it is determined that the user attempting to perform the operation is user A, an operation screen such as that shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the touch panel 70. In FIG. 11, areas 4 to 6 are registered as contaminated areas, so operation buttons 50 are located on areas 1 to 3 other than areas 4 to 6.

Then, in this state, the following description will be given assuming that user A performs an operation as shown in FIG. 12 on the touch panel 70. FIG. 12 shows how user A operates the operation button 50 arranged in area 1 by directly touching it with his or her finger.

Figure 13 shows the contaminated area management table after a contaminated area has been added as a result of user A's operation. Referring to Figure 13, it can be seen that Area 1 has been added to the contaminated area management table as a new contaminated area.

Incidentally, since user A directly operated the touch panel 70 with ungloved fingers, the control unit 35 registers information of 9 hours as the reset time from the reset time management table shown in FIG. 5 in the contaminated area management table. The control unit 35 also registers information of user A as the operating user in the contaminated area management table.

Next, if user D approaches the image forming device 10 in this state to perform an operation, and it is determined that the user attempting to perform the operation is user D, an operation screen such as that shown in FIG. 14 is displayed on the touch panel 70. In FIG. 14, areas 1, and 4 to 6 are registered as contaminated areas, so operation buttons 50 are located on areas 2 and 3 other than areas 1, 4 to 6.

Then, it is assumed that user D performs an operation as shown in FIG. 14 on the touch panel 70 in this state. FIG. 14 shows how user D operates the operation button 50 arranged in area 2 with the touch pen 80.

Figure 15 shows the contaminated area management table after a contaminated area has been added as a result of user D's operation. Referring to Figure 15, it can be seen that Area 2 has been added to the contaminated area management table as a new contaminated area.

Incidentally, since user D operated the touch panel 70 with the touch pen 80, the control unit 35 registers information that the reset time is 4 hours from the reset time management table shown in FIG. 5 in the contaminated area management table. The control unit 35 also registers information that user D is the operating user in the contaminated area management table.

In this state, if user E approaches the image forming device 10 to perform an operation, and it is determined that the user attempting to perform the operation is user E, an operation screen such as that shown in FIG. 16 is displayed on the touch panel 70. In FIG. 16, areas 1, 2, and 4 to 6 are registered as contaminated areas, so the operation button 50 is located on area 3 other than areas 1, 2, and 4 to 6.

Note that the contaminated areas registered in the contaminated area management table described above are deleted and returned to non-contaminated areas after the reset time has elapsed since the operation date and time. However, it is expected that the number of non-contaminated areas in which the operation button 50 can be displayed will decrease if operations are performed by many users in a short period of time.

Therefore, if the non-contaminated area falls below a preset condition, for example, if it falls below a preset area, ratio, or number of areas, a notification to perform cleaning may be displayed on the touch panel 70.

Alternatively, when a user determines that the area in which the operation buttons 50 are displayed has become narrower, the user may voluntarily clean the touch panel 70 with alcohol or the like. In this case, the user may operate the touch panel 70 from an operation screen such as that shown in FIG. 17 to input that the cleaning has been performed.

When the control unit 35 receives input from the user that the touch panel 70 has been cleaned or detects the user's cleaning action, it deletes the information on all contaminated areas registered in the contaminated area management table. As a result, the operation buttons 50 are displayed in all areas of the operation screen on the touch panel 70.

In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

In addition, the processor operations in each of the above embodiments may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of each processor operation is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[Variations]
In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to the image forming device 10 equipped with a touch panel, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be similarly applied to any information processing device equipped with a touch panel that is operated by unspecified users, such as a ticket vending machine installed in a train station or a vending machine installed in town.

10 Image forming device 11 CPU
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 12 Memory 13 Storage device 14 Communication interface 15 User interface device 16 Scan unit 17 Image forming unit 18 Control bus 20 Terminal device 30 Network 31 Authentication unit 32 Operation input unit 33 Display unit 34 Data transmission/reception unit 35 Control unit 36 Data storage unit 37 Image output unit 38 Image reading unit 40 Camera 50 Operation button 70 Touch panel 80 Touch pen

Claims (11)

Memory,
A processor is provided.
The processor,
When a user is about to use the device, an operation reception image for receiving an input from the user is displayed on the touch panel;
storing an area including a place where a contact object has come into contact with the touch panel and operated, as a contaminated area in the memory;
Identifying the contacting object from an image of the contacting object captured by an imaging device;
When a new user is about to use the device, the device controls the display device so that an operation reception image is displayed on a non-contaminated area other than the contaminated area of the touch panel;
When a set time period set according to the identified contact object has elapsed since the last time a location included in the contaminated area was operated, the information processing device changes the contaminated area stored in the memory to a non-contaminated area. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processor sets the set time to a time whose length varies depending on the material of the contact object. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the processor sets the set time to a longer time when the contacting object is a finger than when the contacting object is an object other than a finger. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the processor sets the set time to a longer time when the contact object is a finger not wearing a glove than when the contact object is a finger wearing a glove. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when the contacting object is a finger, the processor sets the set time to a time whose length varies depending on how the contacting object contacts the touch panel. The information processing device according to claim 5, wherein the processor sets the set time to a longer time when an operation is performed by touching the touch panel with the pad of a fingertip than when an operation is performed by touching the touch panel with the joint on the dorsal side of the finger. the imaging device is an infrared camera capable of detecting a temperature of an imaged object,
The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor identifies a material of the contact object by referring to a temperature of the contact object detected by the imaging device. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the processor changes the entire area on the touch panel to a non-contaminated area when it receives that the touch panel has been cleaned. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the processor changes the entire area on the touch panel to a non-contaminated area when it detects from the image captured by the imaging device that the touch panel has been cleaned. The memory stores, for each contaminated area, information on a user who performed an operation when a non-contaminated area was determined to be a contaminated area,
The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, when a user operates the device, the processor displays an operation reception image as a non-contaminated area, where the area has become contaminated due to the operation performed by the user. When a user is about to use the device, displaying an operation reception image on a touch panel for receiving an input from the user;
storing an area including a place where a contact object has come into contact with the touch panel and operated as a contaminated area;
identifying the contact object from an image of the contact object captured by an imaging device;
When a new user is about to use the device, a control step is performed so that an operation acceptance image is displayed on a non-contaminated area other than the contaminated area of the touch panel;
changing the stored contaminated area to a non-contaminated area when a set time set according to the identified contact object has elapsed since the last time a location included in the contaminated area was operated;
A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

Images