JP2009237875A - Contact input type information processing unit, contact input type information processing method, and information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a contact input type information processing unit for determining processing, according to the strength of pressing with a simple configuration that is not in a multiple structure and has a small number of components in a device in which information is input through contacting of a contact body and then processed. <P>SOLUTION: The contact input type information processing unit 1 is covered with an entire frame 2 having a transparent frame 3. The transparent frame 3 for covering space in front can be touched by one portion of a user's body from the front. A liquid crystal display 4 is arranged, at a position where a user can view through the transparent frame 3. A CCD camera 7 is arranged at a specific position, capable of performing photographing from a surface at a side opposite to the surface of the transparent frame 3 to which a user can make contact. Pressing force by which the transparent frame 3 is press against by one portion of the user's body is determined from an image photographed by the CCD camera 7. Processing is switched, according to the strength of the pressing force determined by the photographed image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of inputting information by contact of a contact body.

  A touch panel is widely used in various applications as a device that inputs information simply by contact with a contact body and performs processing. The touch panel can easily input information by contacting the display information displayed on the panel by the contact body. Patent Document 1 describes a configuration necessary for manufacturing a general touch panel. The touch panel is composed of a transparent resin film and a transparent glass plate so that the display surface can be visually observed. A transparent resin film and a transparent glass plate are provided to overlap in parallel. A transparent electrode is provided on each surface where the transparent resin film and the transparent glass plate face each other. In addition, a spacer is provided between the transparent electrodes, and a gap is provided between the two electrodes. When a liquid crystal display panel is used for the display part of the touch panel, the touch panel is elastically deformed during input, so that the liquid crystal display panel is also deformed. Therefore, the display becomes unclear because the display surface of the liquid crystal display panel is deformed. In order to prevent this, a glass plate is generally used as a transparent substrate close to the liquid crystal display panel side among the two transparent substrates of the transparent resin film and the transparent glass plate described above. One transparent base material uses a transparent resin film for the user to input information by touching with a finger. When the transparent resin film is touched with a finger, the transparent electrode provided between the transparent resin film and the transparent glass plate is elastically deformed. When the transparent electrodes come into contact with each other due to this deformation, a current flows between the transparent electrodes. Information is input from the touch panel when current flows between the transparent electrodes. The position on the touch panel pressed by the user is determined by the touch panel described above. Information is input based on the determined pressing position.

Patent Document 2 describes a touch panel provided with a pressure detection unit for the purpose of improving the operability of the touch panel. The pressure detector is provided on the surface of the liquid crystal display panel of the touch panel. A pressure detection part detects the magnitude | size of the pressing force with respect to a touchscreen. In the touch panel described in Patent Document 2, information is input based on the contact position on the touch panel and the magnitude of the pressing force. For example, the display of the liquid crystal display panel is switched according to the pressing force applied to the touch panel, so that selection from a plurality of pieces of information and information can be input.
JP 2004-252676 A JP 2006-39745 A

  However, the number of parts required for manufacturing the touch panel itself is large, and a complicated configuration is required for manufacturing the touch panel. In order to manufacture a touch panel that detects the magnitude of the pressing force, a component that detects the pressing force is required in addition to the component that manufactures the touch panel itself. In addition, a plurality of steps are required such that the transparent electrode is deposited on the glass plate or the transparent resin film is applied to the touch panel.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. An object of the present invention is a contact input type in which information is input and processed by contact of a contact body, and the processing is determined according to the strength of the press with a simple configuration with a small number of parts, not a multiple structure. Information processing apparatus.

  In order to achieve this object, the invention described in claim 1 includes a transparent member that can be pressed while the contact body contacts, a display unit that displays information visible to the user through the transparent member, and a contact. A photographing unit disposed at a position for photographing an image of a contact portion between the contact body and the transparent member from a surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member with which the body can contact; and the transparent member is disposed by the photographing unit. An image processing unit that inputs a photographed image and determines the size of the contact part that changes according to the strength with which the contact body presses the transparent member, and the contact part determined by the image processing unit And a process control unit that determines a process to be executed based on the size of the process.

  The invention according to claim 2 is a transparent member that can be pressed while a part of the user's body is in contact, a display unit that displays information visible to the user through the transparent member, and one of the user's bodies. A photographing unit disposed at a position for photographing an image of a contact portion between a part of a user's body and the transparent member from a surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member that can be contacted by the portion; and An image processing unit that inputs an image photographed through the transparent member and determines the size of the contact portion that changes according to the strength with which a part of the user presses the transparent member; and the image And a process control unit that determines a process to be executed based on the size of the contact portion determined by the processing unit.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the processing control unit determines a process of switching information displayed by the display unit based on a size of the contact portion.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the processing control unit displays a selection item that can be switched to a plurality of different selection contents on the display unit, and switches the selection content of the selection item based on the size of the contact portion. It is characterized by determining.

  In the invention according to claim 5, the image processing unit inputs an image photographed by the photographing unit through the transparent member, determines a contact position of the contact portion on the transparent member, The processing control unit selects desired information from among a plurality of information displayed by the display unit based on the contact position, and selects the information based on the size of the contact part. It is characterized by determining a process for switching the information.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the display unit displays a plurality of the selection items, the image processing unit inputs an image photographed by the photographing unit through the transparent member, and the transparent member Determine the contact position of the contact part above, compare the contact position determined by the image processing unit with the display position on the transparent member on which the selection item is displayed, and whether both positions match A position determination unit that determines whether or not the position determination unit determines that the contact position matches the display position of the selection item, the processing control unit is based on the size of the contact portion The process of switching the selection content of the selection item in which the both positions coincide is determined.

  In the invention according to claim 7, the display unit can display a plurality of selection items, and the processing control unit scrolls the plurality of selection items based on the size of the contact portion to display the selection items. It is characterized in that the speed of scrolling displayed on the screen is determined.

  The invention according to claim 8 includes an area storage unit that stores a plurality of different predetermined area sizes, and the image processing unit has a plurality of predetermined area sizes different from each other in the contact area size. And an area discriminating unit for discriminating whether or not one of the plurality of predetermined area is reached, and an elapsed time from when the size of the contact area reaches one of the plurality of different predetermined areas is measured. And whether the size of the contact area is maintained at any predetermined size until the elapsed time measured by the time measuring unit reaches a predetermined time. A contact area maintenance determination unit that determines whether the contact area maintenance determination unit determines that the size of the contact area is maintained at any one of the predetermined areas. The contact area is large It is characterized in that the size and determination of the final contact area of the of.

  In the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the size of the contact portion determined by the image processing unit is the first predetermined size, the processing control unit switches the information displayed by the display unit. And when the size of the contact portion determined by the image processing unit is a second predetermined size, the processing control unit determines a process corresponding to the information displayed by the display unit. It is characterized by determining.

  The invention described in claim 10 is characterized in that the transparent member is made of plastic.

  The invention described in claim 11 is characterized in that the transparent member has a curved surface.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, a display step of displaying information visible to the user through a transparent member that can be pressed while a part of the user's body is in contact, and a part of the user's body can be contacted. A photographing step of photographing an image of a contact portion between a part of the user's body and the transparent member from a surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member, and inputting the photographed image, A size determining step for determining the size of the contact portion that changes according to the strength with which the portion presses the transparent member, and a process to be executed are determined based on the determined size of the contact portion. A contact input type information processing method, comprising: a process determining step.

  The invention described in claim 13 is a display step for displaying information visible to the user through a transparent member that can be pressed while a part of the user's body is in contact with the part of the user's body. A photographing step of photographing an image of a contact portion between a part of the user's body and the transparent member from a surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member, and inputting the photographed image, A size determining step for determining the size of the contact portion that changes according to the strength with which the portion presses the transparent member, and a process to be executed are determined based on the determined size of the contact area. An information processing program for causing a computer to execute the process determination step is described.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the transparent member is brought into contact with the contact body, the size of the contact portion is determined from the image photographed by the photographing unit as the strength of the pressing force with which the transparent member is pressed. . Since the strength of the pressing force is determined by the image taken by the photographing unit, the transparent electrode, the transparent resin film, and the pressing force detection unit that are necessary for the touch panel are not necessary. Therefore, the configuration for detecting contact is not a multiple structure but simple. In addition, the photographing unit is arranged at a position where an image is photographed from the surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member that can be contacted by the contact body. In other words, when the contact portion between the transparent member and the contact body is photographed, the contact portion is not hidden by the contact body itself, and the photographing is not hindered, so the contact portion can be photographed accurately. It becomes. Therefore, the presence / absence of contact between the contact body and the transparent member and the size of the contact portion are accurately determined.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the transparent member is brought into contact with a part of the user's body, an image in which the size of the contact portion is photographed by the photographing unit as the strength of the pressing force with which the transparent member is pressed. Determined from. Since the strength of the pressing force is determined by the image taken by the photographing unit, the transparent electrode, the transparent resin film, and the pressing force detection unit that are necessary for the touch panel are not necessary. Therefore, the configuration for detecting contact is not a multiple structure but simple. In addition, the photographing unit is arranged at a position for photographing an image from the surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member that can be contacted by the user. In other words, the contact portion between the transparent member and a part of the user's body, for example, the contact portion between the transparent member and the user's fingertip is not hidden by the entire user's hand, and shooting of the contact portion is hindered by the user's body. Therefore, it is possible to accurately photograph the contact portion. Therefore, the presence / absence of contact between a part of the user's body and the transparent member and the size of the contact portion are accurately determined.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the process for switching the information displayed by the display unit is determined based on the size of the contact portion. The user can select desired information by changing the size of the contact portion while viewing the information displayed on the display unit. As a result, the user can select various information with a simple operation in accordance with the strength of the pressing force of the transparent member.

  In the invention according to claim 4, selection items that can be switched to a plurality of selection contents are displayed on the display unit. By switching the selection content of the selection item based on the size of the contact portion, the user can switch to a different selection content for the displayed selection item with a simple operation.

  In the invention according to claim 5, the contact position on the transparent member is determined from the image photographed by the photographing unit. Based on the contact position on the transparent member determined by the image processing unit, desired information is selected from the plurality of information displayed by the display unit. Further, a process for switching the selected information is determined based on the size of the contact portion. As a result, the user can select various information and switch the selected information in one operation depending on the contact position and the size of the contact portion, and the operability is improved.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the selection content of the selection item in which the display position of the selection item on the transparent member matches the contact position is switched based on the size of the contact portion. Of the plurality of selection items displayed by the display unit, the user can switch the selection contents based on the size of the contact portion only for the desired selection item. As a result, the user can select a selection item and switch the selection contents with one operation, and the operability is improved.

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the speed at which the plurality of selection items displayed on the display unit is scrolled based on the size of the contact portion is determined. If there are multiple selection items that cannot be displayed on one screen by determining the speed at which the selection items are scrolled based on the size of the contact portion, based on the size of the contact portion Since the scrolling speed changes, it becomes possible to quickly select information from a plurality of selection items by one operation.

  In the invention according to claim 8, when it is determined that the size of the contact area is maintained at the predetermined size for a predetermined time, the image processing unit sets the determined size of the contact area. Determine the size of the final contact area. As a result, it is possible to prevent erroneous processing from being executed due to fluctuations in the pressing force by the user, and to accurately determine processing such as information selection and switching.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, based on the size of the contact portion, the process control unit determines the process of switching the information displayed on the display unit, and determines the process content corresponding to the information displayed on the display unit. Processing decisions are made. Since switching of information and confirmation of processing contents are performed based only on the size of the contact portion, the user must perform two different processes of information switching and confirmation of processing contents by one type of input operation. Is possible.

  In the invention described in claim 10, since the transparent electrode is unnecessary in the configuration of the present invention, it can be manufactured by plastics that have been difficult to use in the manufacture of touch panels. As a result, it is possible to easily manufacture panels having various shapes with inexpensive materials.

  In the invention described in claim 11, since it is possible to form a curved surface without being limited to a plane widely used in a general touch panel, the shape is suitable for the use and design of a contact input type information processing apparatus. It can be easily changed.

  In the invention according to claim 12 and claim 13, when the transparent member on the transparent member is contacted by a part of the user's body in the photographing step, the pressing force is pressed by the part of the user's body. Is determined as the size of the contact portion from the image photographed in the photographing step. Therefore, the transparent electrode, the transparent resin film, and the pressing force detection unit that are necessary for the touch panel are not necessary. Work steps such as vapor deposition of a transparent electrode and application of a transparent resin film, which are necessary for manufacturing a touch panel, are not required, and the configuration for detecting the pressing force is not a multiple structure but a simple structure. Further, an image is taken from the surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member that can be contacted by the user. That is, the contact portion between the transparent member and a part of the user's body can be accurately photographed without being obstructed by the user's body. Therefore, the presence / absence of contact between a part of the user's body and the transparent member and the size of the contact portion are accurately determined.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an information processing apparatus having a moving image reproduction function will be described with reference to the drawings. In the first embodiment, a selection item for selecting a moving image is displayed on the display unit. A plurality of selectable types of moving images are displayed as selection items by the display unit. The displayed selection item is touched by a part of the user's body. By switching the display of the selection items on the display unit based on the pressing force and the contact position touched by the user, the user can select and play a favorite moving image.

  1 and 2 show a conceptual configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a side view of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a front view. In the contact input type information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the directions of arrows shown in FIG. 1 are respectively an upward direction, a downward direction, a forward direction, and a backward direction. In addition, the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2 is defined as the right direction, and the opposite direction is defined as the left direction.

<External configuration of the first embodiment>
As shown in FIG. 1, the contact input type information processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment is covered with an entire frame 2 having a transparent frame 3. Two spaces are formed inside the entire frame 2. The transparent frame 3 that covers the front space in FIG. 1 is configured to be able to come into contact with a part of the user's body from the front. In the rear space, a liquid crystal display 4, a CPU 5, a memory 6, a CCD camera 7 capable of taking color images, and an HDD 8 are provided. Below the entire frame 2, a support stand 9 for supporting the entire frame 2 and an audio output device 10 are provided.

(Configuration of transparent member)
The transparent frame 3 is made of a transparent plastic material. It has a convex curved shape for the user. On the other hand, the material of the entire frame 2 covering the rear space is made of plastic, but is not particularly limited. The transparent frame 3 is an example of the transparent member of the present invention.

(Configuration of display unit)
The liquid crystal display 4 is disposed at a position where the user can see through the transparent frame 3. The liquid crystal display 4 displays information to the user according to the display information. The liquid crystal display 4 is an example of the display unit of the present invention.

(Configuration of the shooting unit)
The CCD camera 7 is disposed at a position where the entire area of the transparent frame 3 that can be touched by the user can be photographed. The CCD camera 7 is arranged at a specific position where photographing can be performed from the direction of the surface opposite to the surface of the transparent frame 3 that can be contacted by the user. For this reason, the contact area between the transparent frame 3 and a part of the user's body is captured by the user's body without being disturbed by the user's body. By disposing the CCD camera 7 at the specific position, it is possible to determine whether or not the transparent frame 3 and a part of the user's body are in contact with one CCD camera 7. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of cameras. As shown in FIG. 1, a space having a predetermined size is formed between the transparent frame 3 and the liquid crystal display 4. A space of a predetermined size is formed between the transparent frame 3 and the liquid crystal display 4 so that the area of the transparent frame 3 that can be contacted by the user by the single CCD camera 7 disposed at the specific position. Can be taken. The CCD camera 7 is an example of a photographing unit of the present invention.

<Electric Configuration of First Embodiment>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the contact input type information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the contact input type information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is provided with a CPU 5 that controls the contact input type information processing apparatus 1. A liquid crystal display 4, a memory 6, a CCD camera 7, an HDD 8, and an audio output device 10 are electrically connected to the CPU 5. The CPU 5, together with the memory 6 and the HDD 8, constitutes a computer that controls the operation of the information processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. A computer including the CPU 5, the memory 6, and the HDD 8 is an example of a processing control unit, a position determination unit, an area determination unit, a time measurement unit, and an area maintenance determination unit according to the present invention. The audio output device 10 outputs audio of a moving image reproduced by the contact input type information processing device 1.

(Memory configuration)
FIG. 4 shows details of the contents stored in the memory 6. The memory 6 is composed of a known RAM, and has an area for storing captured image data 11 captured by the CCD camera 7. The memory 6 includes an area for storing the contact area 12 of the contact position candidate, the input position data 14, and the temporary storage data 19.

  The memory 6 stores, as input position data 14, a final input position 15 of the contact position determined by the CPU, a final contact area 16 of the input position, a pressing force 17, and a contact selection item 18. The pressing force 17 is determined based on the size of the final contact area 16 at the input position. The contact selection item 18 is determined based on the input position 15. When the CPU 5 newly determines the final input position shown above, the memory 6 includes a temporary storage area for storing the input position data 14 stored so far as the temporary storage data 19. As the temporary storage data 19, a final input position 20, a final contact area 21, a pressing force 22, and a contact selection item 23 determined by the CPU 5 last time are stored.

(HDD configuration)
FIG. 5 shows details of the contents stored in the HDD 8. The HDD 8 stores a program 31, color information 32, display information 33, contact portion size information 34, display position information 35, moving image information 36, and pressing force determination information 44. The program 31 is a program for controlling the contact input type information processing apparatus 1. The color information 32 is information for determining whether or not the contact portion is a candidate. The display information 33 is information for instructing the liquid crystal display 4 to display information such as video. The size information 34 of the contact portion is information for determining whether the area of the contact portion is a predetermined size. The display position information 35 is information on the display position of the selection item in which the selection item displayed on the liquid crystal display 4 is located on the transparent frame 3. The moving image information 36 is information relating to a moving image file that is played back by the contact input type information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment by an input from the user. The pressing force determination information 44 is information for determining the pressing force based on the size of the contact portion. In the first embodiment, the pressing force is determined based on the size of the contact area as the size of the contact portion. The storage area of the HDD 8 that stores the size information 34 of the contact portion is an example of an area storage unit.

  The HDD 8 stores a main program 37 shown in FIG. 6 and a subtask program 38 shown in FIG. The main program 37 is a program for controlling the contact input type information processing apparatus of the first embodiment. The subtask program 38 is a program for performing image processing on photographed image data photographed by the CCD camera 7 and detecting a pressing force and a contact portion. The subtask program 38 is also a program for storing in the memory 6 information regarding the determined pressing force and contact portion. The subtask program 38 stored in the HDD 8 is an example of the image processing unit of the present invention.

  The HDD 8 stores contact part color information 39 as the color information 32. The contact portion color information 39 is color information that serves as a determination criterion for determining whether the contact portion color candidate is a contact portion candidate.

  The HDD 8 stores main menu display information 40 as display information 33 for displaying information on the liquid crystal display 4. FIG. 8 shows a state where the main menu is displayed, and the main menu shows an example of information displayed by the main menu display information 40. In the first embodiment, the liquid crystal display 4 includes moving image display information display units 51 to 55 and a moving image reproduction unit 56 as display areas for displaying information in the main menu. A moving image desired by the user is selected by the main menu shown in FIG.

  The HDD 8 stores moving image title name information 41, moving image display information 42, and moving image reproduction information 43 as moving image information 36 for reproducing a moving image by the information processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. The moving image title name information 41 is a title name assigned to each moving image file stored in the HDD 8. The moving image display information 42 is display information representing a plurality of moving image files stored in the HDD 8. According to each display information of the moving image display information 42, the moving image display information display sections 51 to 55 display each information of the main menu. The moving image reproduction information 43 is information for reproducing a moving image by the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The moving image reproduction information 43 includes display information output to the liquid crystal display 4 and audio information output from the audio output device 10. In accordance with the moving image reproduction information 43, the moving image reproduction unit 56 displays a moving image, and the audio output device 10 outputs sound. In the first embodiment, the moving image display information display unit 51 displays information about “suspense”, the moving image display information display unit 52 displays information about “mystery”, the moving image display information display unit 53 displays information about “SF”, The display information display unit 54 is configured to display information related to “action”, and the moving image display information display unit 55 is configured to display information “other”.

  FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a storage state in which the moving image title name information 41, the moving image display information 42, and the moving image reproduction information 43 corresponding to the contact selection item and the magnitude of the pressing force are stored in the HDD 8. “Pressing force: 1” indicates that the pressing force is determined to be “1”. Movie title name information 41, movie display information 42, and movie playback information 43 corresponding to the pressing force are stored in the HDD 8 as shown in FIG. For example, when the contact selection item is “3” and the pressing force magnitude is “2”, the contact selection item “3” and the pressing force magnitude “2” correspond to the correspondence table shown in FIG. A moving image of “SF_B” that is moving image title name information is determined.

  FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a storage state in which the size of the contact area and the pressing force determination information 44 are stored in the HDD 8. In the first embodiment, the contact area is used as the size of the contact portion. According to the table shown in FIG. 10, the pressing force is determined based on the size of the contact area. In the first embodiment, the number of pixels in the contact portion is determined as the contact area of the contact portion. When the size of the contact area is 0 pixel to 99 pixels, the size of the pressing force is determined to be “0”. When the size of the contact area is 100 pixels to 1999 pixels, the size of the pressing force is determined as “1”. When the size of the contact area is 2000 pixels to 3999 pixels, the size of the pressing force is determined as “2”. When the size of the contact area is 4000 pixels or more, the size of the pressing force is determined as “3”.

<Description of Main Operation of First Embodiment>
The operation and action of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the main operation in the information processing apparatus 1. The main operation is performed when power is supplied to the contact input type information processing apparatus and the CPU 5 executes the main program 37. All processes shown below are processed by the CPU 5.

  In the contact input type information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, first, in step S101, it is determined whether the power of the apparatus is turned on by the user. Step S101 is repeated until it is determined that the power switch is turned on. If it is determined that the power switch is turned on, step S102 is executed. The power switch may be a switch using hardware or a soft power switch operated by software.

  In step S102, the subtask program 38 shown in FIG. 7 is read from the HDD 8 and executed. The subtask program 38 will be described later with reference to FIG. The subtask program 38 determines an input position 15, a final contact area 16, a pressing force 17, and a contact selection item 18 as the input position data 14. After the input position data 14 is determined, the input position data 14 temporarily stored in the memory 6 so far is stored in the memory 6 as temporary storage data 19. Thereafter, the determined input position data 14 is temporarily stored in the memory 6. In the first embodiment, the subtask program 38 is activated independently of the main program 37 every 100 msec after being activated in step S102.

  In step S <b> 103, an initial value as the input position data 14 is stored in the memory 6. In the first embodiment, the final contact area 16 and the pressing force 17 are set to “0” as initial values, and the input position 15 and the selection item position 18 determined based on the input position 15 are set to NULL. And stored in the memory 6. Also, the frame flag is turned off.

  In step S104, the main menu information 40 is read from the HDD 8. The liquid crystal display 4 displays information according to the main menu information 40 read from the HDD 8. The liquid crystal display 4 displays the main menu shown in FIG. According to the moving image display information 42 of different types of moving image files, the moving image display information display units 51 to 55 display information. Thereafter, the timer count is started. Step S104 is an example of a display step.

  The moving image display information 42 relating to “suspense” is read from the HDD 8 and output to the moving image display information display unit 51. Similarly, the moving image display information 42 related to “mystery” is displayed on the moving image display information display unit 52, the moving image display information 42 related to “SF” is displayed on the moving image display information display unit 53, and the moving image display information 42 related to “action” is displayed on the moving image display information. The moving image display information 42 regarding “others” is output to the moving image display information display unit 55 in the unit 54. Information displayed by the moving image display information display sections 51 to 55 is switched based on the pressing force.

  When the user switches the information displayed by the moving image display information display units 51 to 55 based on the pressing force, the moving image reproduction information is read from the HDD 8 and determined. The display information of the moving image reproduction information 43 read from the HDD 8 is output to the moving image reproduction unit 56 and the audio information of the moving image reproduction information 43 is output to the audio output unit 10 to reproduce the moving image.

  In step S <b> 105, the pressing force stored as the input position data 14 is read from the memory 6.

  In step S106, it is determined whether the pressing force is “0”. If it is determined that the value is “0”, step S115 is executed. If it is determined that the pressing force is not “0”, step S107 is executed.

  In step S107, the input position 15 stored as the input position data 14 is read from the memory 6. The input position 15 is determined as a coordinate position on the transparent frame 3. FIG. 11 shows an example of coordinate positions on the transparent frame 3. As shown in FIG. 11, the coordinate positions of the X axis and the Y axis on the transparent frame 3 are determined as the input position 15. In the first embodiment, the origin is the position of the lower left pixel of the image taken by the CCD camera 7. With this origin as a reference, one coordinate value is determined for each pixel. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the input position 15 of the contact portion is the coordinate position (120, 540) in step S107 and the input position 15 of the coordinate position is read from the memory 6.

  In step S108, the input position 15 of the contact portion read in step S107 is compared with the display position of the selection item on the transparent frame 3. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In step S107, the coordinate position (120, 540) of the input position 15 is read. Display position information 35 indicating the display positions of the selection items in areas 1 to 5 shown in FIG. 11 is read from the HDD 8. As the coordinates of the selection item display position in area 1, display position information 35 such that the X coordinate value is 20 or more and 200 or less and the Y coordinate value is 40 or more and 140 or less is read. Further, display position information 35 such as an X coordinate value of 220 to 400 and a Y coordinate value of 40 to 140 is read from the HDD 8 as the coordinate value of the selection item display position in area 2. As the coordinate value of the selection item display position in area 3, display position information 35 such as an X coordinate value of 420 to 600 and a Y coordinate value of 40 to 140 is read from the HDD 8. As the coordinate value of the selection item display position in area 4, display position information 35 such as an X coordinate value of 420 to 600 and a Y coordinate value of 160 to 260 is read from the HDD 8. As the coordinate value of the selection item display position in area 5, display position information 35 such as an X coordinate value of 420 to 600 and a Y coordinate value of 280 to 380 is read from the HDD 8. By comparing the input position 15 of the contact portion and the display position information 35, it is determined that the input position 15 matches the area 3. The determined area 3 is temporarily stored as the contact selection item 18 in the memory 6. If it is determined that any one of the areas 1 to 5 and the input position 15 match, step S109 is executed. If it is determined that they do not match, the process returns to step S104, and the main menu is displayed again. Step S108 is an example of a position determination unit.

  In step S109, it is determined whether the pressing force of the area 3 determined as the contact selection item 18 in step S108 is maintained at a predetermined pressing force. That is, in step S109, it is determined whether the contact selection item 23 stored in the memory 6 as the temporary storage data 19 matches the contact selection item 18 stored in the memory 6 as the input position data 14. . It is also determined whether the pressing force 22 stored in the memory 6 as the temporary storage data 19 and the pressing force 17 stored in the memory 6 as the input position data 14 match. If it is determined that both the contact selection item and the pressing force match, step S112 is executed. If both the contact selection item and the pressing force do not match, step S110 is executed.

  In step S110, since it is determined that the predetermined pressing force is not maintained, the timer that has been counting time is reset. Thereafter, the time counting is restarted. Also, the frame flag is turned off.

  In step S111, display information is determined based on the pressing force determined in step S105 and step S107 and the contact selection item. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents stored in the HDD 8 for the moving picture information 36. For example, when the contact selection item 18 stored as the input position data 14 in the memory 6 is “3” and the pressing force 17 is “1”, the movie title name information 41 is “SF_A”, and the movie display The information 42 is determined as “SF_A.jpg”. The moving image display information “SF_A.jpg” of the moving image title name information “SF_A” is read from the HDD 8 and output to the moving image display information display unit 53 that displays “SF” on the liquid crystal display 4. Then, it returns to step S105 and step S105 is performed again.

  In step S112, it is determined whether the time counted by the timer from step S104 or step S110 is 2 seconds or more. That is, it is determined whether the magnitude of the predetermined pressing force is maintained for a predetermined contact selection item for 2 seconds. When it is determined that the predetermined pressing force is maintained for 2 seconds or longer, step S113 is executed. If it is not determined that the predetermined pressing force has been maintained for 2 seconds or longer, the process returns to step S105, and step S105 is executed.

  In step S113, since the magnitude of the predetermined pressing force is maintained for 2 seconds or more, the frame flag is turned ON. Moreover, the outline of the moving image display information display part displayed by the liquid crystal display 4 shown in FIG.8 and FIG.11 is displayed with a red frame. The outline of the moving image display information display portion is displayed with a red frame, thereby indicating that the user's moving image selection is confirmed. For example, when the moving image whose title information is “SF_A” displayed by the moving image display information display unit 53 displaying “SF” on the liquid crystal display 4 is confirmed, the outline of the moving image display information display unit 53 is red. Displayed in a frame.

  In step S114, after the process determined in step S113 is executed, it is determined whether the power switch is turned off by the user. If the power switch is not turned off, the process returns to step S105, and step S105 is executed. If the power switch is turned off, the process returns to step S101, and step S101 is executed again.

  If it is determined in step S106 that the pressing force is “0”, step S115 is executed. In step S106, it is determined whether the frame flag is ON. If it is determined in step S115 that the frame flag is ON, step S116 is executed. If it is determined in step S115 that the frame flag is OFF, the process returns to step S103, and the final contact area 16 and the pressing force 17 are set to “0” as initial values, based on the input position 15 and the input position 15. The determined contact selection item 18 is set to NULL and stored in the memory 6. Also, the frame flag is turned off.

  In step S116, processing corresponding to the display information is determined. In step S116, after the selection item displayed by the moving image display information display unit surrounded by the red frame on the liquid crystal display 4 is confirmed by the user and the pressing force is maintained at a predetermined magnitude for 2 seconds, It is executed based on the change to “0”. In the first embodiment, the frame flag is turned ON, and the pressing force is maintained at a predetermined magnitude for 2 seconds and then changed to “0”, so that the selection of information is finally determined. . A process for reading the moving image reproduction information 43 based on the pressing force 17 and the contact selection item 18 from the HDD 8 is determined. The moving image reproduction information 43 described above is read from the HDD 8, and the moving image is reproduced by outputting the display information to the moving image reproduction unit 56 and the audio information to the audio output device 10. For example, when the contact selection item 18 stored as the input position data 14 in the memory 6 is the contact selection item “2” and the pressing force 17 is stored as “3”, it is reproduced in the first embodiment. The moving image is determined as “mystery_C” according to the correspondence table shown in FIG. The moving image reproduction information “mystery_C” is read from the HDD 8 and output to the moving image reproduction unit 56 and the audio output device 10, respectively. Step S116 is an example of a process determination step.

(Explanation of subtask operation)
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation for determining the pressing force and the input position of the contact portion according to the subtask program 38. First, in step S201, the CCD camera 7 starts photographing the contact portion between the transparent frame 3 and a part of the user's body. The subtask program 38 is executed every 10 msec. Therefore, the timing at which shooting is performed is every fixed period in the first embodiment. Every time the image is taken by the CCD camera 7, the taken image data is temporarily stored in the memory 6. Step S201 is an example of a photographing step.

  In step S202, image processing is executed on the captured image data 11 stored in the memory 6 in order to detect a contact portion between the transparent frame 3 and a part of the user's body. Specifically, the captured image data 11 stored in the memory 6 is compared in time series, and the difference of the compared captured image data 11 is taken. The background can be removed by removing portions other than the difference. FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of image processing for determining a contact portion. An image difference between the captured image data 61 captured at a certain time T and the captured image data 62 captured at a certain time (T + 10 msec) is obtained. Difference image data 63 shown in FIG. 12 is obtained. A pixel having a change between a certain time T and time (T + 10 msec) is determined. Therefore, it is possible to remove an object (background) that is not currently moving.

  In step S203, when it is determined from the image processing result in step S202 that there is no contact portion, the process proceeds to step S213. If it is determined that there is a contact portion, step S204 is executed.

  In step S204, when it is determined in step S203 that there is a contact portion, the contact portion of a predetermined color is excluded from the determination target for determining the input position of the contact portion. In the first embodiment, contact parts other than light orange, which is one of the colors of human fingers, are excluded from the determination targets for determining the input position of the contact part. In order to detect the light orange color, the RGB values in all the pixels of the captured image data captured by the CCD camera 7 are compared with the contact partial color information 39 stored in the HDD 8. Based on the comparison result, it is determined whether the color of the pixel is light orange. Threshold values such as an upper limit value and a lower limit value of RGB values identified as light orange are stored in advance in the HDD 8 as contact partial color information 39. If the RGB value of the pixel falls within the range determined by the upper limit value and the lower limit value, the pixel is determined to be light orange.

  In step S205, when it is determined that there is no contact portion as a result of executing step S204, the process proceeds to step S213. If it is determined that there is a contact portion, step S206 is executed.

  In step S206, based on the shape of the contact portion, the contact portion having a predetermined shape is excluded from the determination target for determining the input position of the contact portion. In the contact input type information processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, a finger is assumed as a part of the user's body. Therefore, other than the contact portion having a shape similar to a circle or an ellipse considered as the shape of the contact portion of the finger is excluded. Hough transform is used for an image photographed by the CCD camera 7. By the Hough transform, the feature of the figure is determined in the first embodiment. A contact portion having a shape similar to a circle and an ellipse is determined, and contact portions having other shapes are excluded. In addition, the area of the contact portion is compared with the contact portion size information 34 stored in the HDD 8. Threshold values such as an upper limit value and a lower limit value of the area size of the contact portion determined as the size of the contact portion are stored in advance as the contact portion size information 34 by the HDD 8. When the size of the area of the contact portion does not correspond to the range determined by the upper limit value and the lower limit value, the contact portion having the contact area size that does not correspond is excluded from the determination target for determining the input position.

  In step S207, if it is determined that there is no contact portion as a result of executing step S206, the process proceeds to step S213. If it is determined that there is a contact portion, step S208 is executed.

  In step S208, when it is determined in step S207 that there is a contact portion, the area of the contact portion is determined. The number of pixels in the contact portion that has not been excluded in the processing of steps S202 to S207 described above is determined as the contact area of the contact portion. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining a contact area. In the contact input type information processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the directions of arrows shown in FIG. 13 are respectively upward, downward, rightward, and leftward. After execution of step S207, the contact portion 65 and the contact portion 66 are determined for the captured image data 64. The figure shown in the right part in FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the contact part 66. One small square shown in FIG. 13 corresponds to one pixel 67. A dark pixel 68 indicates a pixel touched by the user. In the first embodiment, the number of pixels in the contact portion is the size of the contact area. Therefore, the contact area of the contact portion 66 in FIG. 13 is determined as the number of pixels 68 touched by the user. The determined contact area is temporarily stored as a contact area candidate 12 in the memory 6. The contact portion with the maximum determined contact area is determined as the contact portion of the final contact area 16. Step S208 is an example of a size determination step.

  In step S209, it is determined whether the size of the final contact area 16 determined in step S208 is greater than or equal to a predetermined size. The final contact area 16 stored in the memory 6 as the input position data 14 is compared with the contact portion size information 34 stored in the HDD 8. If the final contact area 16 is greater than or equal to the contact size information 34, the process proceeds to step S210. When the final contact area 16 is smaller than the contact portion size information 34, the process proceeds to step S213.

  In step S210, the position of one point in the shape of the contact portion having the maximum contact area is determined as the input position. By setting the position of one point in the shape of the contact portion as the input position, the CPU 5 only needs to determine the process corresponding to the position of the one point. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine the process corresponding to the contact portion. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C, the shape of the contact portion is included as the input position, and the center of the rectangle or square that is in contact with the contact portion is used as the input position. Yes. The center of the enclosing square or rectangle is the intersection of the perpendicular bisectors drawn from the midpoint of each side. The position of the lower left pixel of the image taken by the CCD camera 7 is the origin. With this origin as a reference, one coordinate value is determined for each pixel. The input position of the contact portion is determined as the coordinate value of the center. In this way, the final contact area of the contact portion and the input position of the contact portion are determined.

  In step S <b> 211, the pressing force 17 is determined based on the final contact area 16 stored in the memory 6 as the input position data 14. Determination method of pressing force by using a 7.5 inch liquid crystal display as the liquid crystal display 4 and a CCD camera having a resolution of 640 × 480 and a photographing range of 153.6 mm × 115.2 mm as the CCD camera 7 An example will be described. In the camera described above, the resolution is 640 × 480 and the shooting range is 153.6 mm × 115.2 mm. Therefore, the size per pixel is about 0.24 mm × 0.24 mm. According to the table shown in FIG. 10, the pressing force is determined based on the size of the contact area. When the size of the contact area is 0 to 99 pixels, that is, smaller than 5.76 mm 2, the size of the pressing force is determined as “0”. When the size of the contact area is 100 pixels to 1999 pixels, that is, 5.76 mm 2 or more and less than 115.2 mm 2, the size of the pressing force is determined as “1. In the case of 2000 pixels to 3999 pixels, that is, in the case of 115.2 mm 2 or more and less than 230.4 mm 2, the magnitude of the pressing force is determined as “2”. When the size of the contact area is 4000 pixels or more, that is, 230.4 mm 2 or more, the size of the pressing force is determined as “3”. Step S211 is an example of an area determination unit. Step S211, Step S108, Step S109, and Step S112 are examples of the area maintenance determination unit.

  In step S 212, the input position 15, the final contact area 16, the pressing force 17, and the contact selection item 18 stored in the memory 6 as the input position data 14 are stored in the memory 6 as the temporary storage data 19. The input position 15, the final contact area 16, and the pressing force 17 determined in step S <b> 211 are newly stored in the memory 6 as input position data 14.

  In step S214, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous subtask was executed. Step S214 is repeated until it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed. If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process returns to step S201.

  In step S213, if it is determined in step S203, step S205, or step S207 that no contact portion remains, the final contact area 16 and the pressing force 17 are determined based on “0” and the input position 14 and the input position. The contact selection item 18 is set to NULL, and the stored value of the memory 6 is updated.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an information processing apparatus having a moving image reproduction function will be described with reference to the drawings. Since the external configuration and electrical configuration of the second embodiment are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, only the differences will be described.

(Configuration of Memory of Second Embodiment)
FIG. 15 shows details of the contents stored in the memory 106 in the second embodiment. The memory 106 is composed of a known RAM as in the first embodiment. The memory 106 includes an area for storing the captured image data 111, the contact area 112 of the contact position candidate, the input position data 114, the temporary storage data 119, and the selected number Nx. The selection number Nx is information representing the selection number of the moving image file currently selected by the user.

(Configuration of HDD of Second Embodiment)
FIG. 16 shows the details of the contents stored in the HDD 108 in the second embodiment. The HDD 108 includes a program 131, color information 132, display information 133, contact portion size information 134, display position information 135, moving image information 136, maximum selection number 137, pressing force determination information 147, Display maintenance time information 148 is stored. The program 131 is a program for controlling the contact input type information processing apparatus 1. The color information 132 is information for determining whether or not the contact portion is a candidate. The display information 133 is information that instructs the liquid crystal display 4 to display information such as video. The size information 134 of the contact portion is information for determining whether the area of the contact portion is a predetermined size. The display position information 135 is information representing the display position where the selection item displayed on the liquid crystal display 4 is located on the transparent frame 3. The moving image information 136 is information of a moving image file that is played back by the information processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment by an input from the user. The maximum selection number 137 represents the total number of moving images that can be selected from the moving images to be played back by the information processing apparatus 1 of the second embodiment. The pressing force determination information 147 is information for determining the pressing force based on the size of the contact portion. The display maintenance time information 148 is a display maintenance time for maintaining the display on the liquid crystal display 4. In the second embodiment, a predetermined time is stored as the display maintenance time 148. In the second embodiment, the size of the contact area is used as the size of the contact portion.

  The HDD 108 stores a processing determination program 140 and a display switching program 141 as a program 131. The process determination program 140 is a program that determines a process to be executed based on the pressing force and the contact position determined by the subtask program 139. The display switching program 141 is a program for switching information displayed on the liquid crystal display 4 as the processing determined by the processing determination program 140.

  FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing a storage state in which the moving image title name information 144, the moving image display information 145, and the moving image reproduction information 146 corresponding to the selection numbers 0 to 8 are stored in the HDD 108. As shown in FIG. 17, moving picture title name information 144, moving picture display information 145, and moving picture reproduction information 146 corresponding to each selection number are stored in the HDD 108.

<Description of Main Operation of Second Embodiment>
The operation and action of the information processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the main operation according to the main program 138 in the present embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, steps S301 to S302 are executed as in the first embodiment.

  In the contact input type information processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, first, in step S301, it is determined whether the power of the apparatus is turned on by the user. Step S301 is repeated until it is determined that the power switch is turned on. If it is determined that the power switch is turned on, step S302 is executed. The power switch may be a switch using hardware or a soft power switch operated by software.

  In step S302, the subtask program 139 having the same contents as the subtask program 38 shown in FIG. 7 is read from the HDD 108 and executed. By the subtask program 139, the input position 115, the final contact area 116, the pressing force 117, and the contact selection item 118 are determined as the input position data 114. After the input position data 114 is determined, the input position data 114 that has been temporarily stored in the memory 106 so far is stored in the memory 106 as temporary storage data 119. Thereafter, the determined input position data 114 is temporarily stored in the memory 106. In the first embodiment, the subtask program 139 is activated independently of the main program 138 every 100 msec after being activated in step S302.

  In step S <b> 303, the initial value as the input position data 114 is stored in the memory 106 as in the information processing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. The frame flag is turned off. Further, “0” is stored in the memory 106 as an initial value of the selected number Nx.

  In step S304, the main menu display information 143 is read from the HDD. The liquid crystal display 4 displays information according to the main menu display information 143 read from the HDD 108. The liquid crystal display 4 displays the main menu shown in FIG. 19 in two display areas according to the main menu display information 143. The two display areas are a moving image display information display unit 71 and an input unit 72. The moving image display information 145 is output to the moving image display information display unit 71. A process of switching information displayed on the moving image display information display unit 71 and a process of stopping switching of information displayed on the moving image display information display unit 71 (determining information) Processing) and processing for executing processing corresponding to information displayed on the moving image display information display section 71 are switched.

  In the second embodiment, steps S305 to S308 are executed as in the first embodiment.

  In step S <b> 305, the pressing force stored as the input position data 114 is read from the memory 106.

  In step S306, it is determined whether the pressing force is “0”. If it is determined that the value is “0”, the process returns to step S305. If it is determined that the pressing force is not “0”, step S307 is executed.

  In step S307, the input position 115 stored as the input position data 114 is read from the memory 106. The input position 115 is determined as a coordinate position on the transparent frame 3.

  In step S308, the input position 115 of the contact portion read in step S307 is compared with the display position of the selection item on the transparent frame 3. Step S308 determines whether the input unit 72 is in contact.

  In step S309, a process to be executed is determined based on the pressing force determined in steps S305 and S307 and the input position, and the determined process is executed. Step S309 is an example of a process determination step.

  In step S310, the same process as step S115 in the first embodiment is executed. It is determined whether the user has turned off the power switch. If the power switch is not turned off, the process returns to step S304, and step S304 is executed. When the power switch is turned off, the process returns to step S301, and step S301 is executed.

(Explanation of subtask operation)
Since the operation and action of the subtask program 139 of the second embodiment are the same as those of the subtask program 38 of the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

(Description of processing decision operation)
FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing details of the process determination operation according to the process determination program 140. First, in step S401, as the predetermined first range, it is determined whether the magnitude of the pressing force is “1” or more and less than “2”. In the second embodiment, the predetermined range is used, but it may be a predetermined value. When the magnitude of the pressing force is “1”, step S402 is executed. If the magnitude of the pressing force is not within the predetermined first range, step S403 is executed.

  In step S402, information displayed by the moving image display information display unit 71 of the liquid crystal display 4 is switched. Detailed description of the display switching program 141 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S403, it is determined whether the magnitude of the pressing force is “2” or more and less than “3” as the predetermined second range. In the second embodiment, the predetermined range is used, but it may be a predetermined value. If the magnitude of the pressing force is “2”, step S404 is executed. When the magnitude of the pressing force is not the predetermined second range, step S405 is executed.

  In step S404, the display switching of information displayed by the moving image display information display unit 71 of the liquid crystal display 4 is stopped, so that the process corresponding to the display information is confirmed. That is, the moving image to be reproduced is determined.

  In step S405, a moving image corresponding to information displayed by the moving image display information display unit 71 of the liquid crystal display 4 is reproduced. In step S306, it is determined that the magnitude of the pressing force is not “0”, in step S401, it is determined that the magnitude of the pressing force is not within the predetermined first range, and in step S403, the magnitude of the pressing force is If it is determined that it is not within the predetermined second range, step S405 is executed. That is, in the second embodiment, when the pressing force is “3” or more, processing corresponding to information displayed on the moving image display information display unit 71 is determined. The moving image reproduction information 146 related to the moving image selected by the user is read from the HDD 8. In accordance with the moving image reproduction information 146, the moving image reproduction unit 56 displays a moving image, and the audio output device 10 outputs sound.

(Description of display switching operation)
FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing details of the process determination operation according to the display switching program 141. In step S 501, the value of the selected number Nx stored in the memory 106 is incremented by 1 and temporarily stored in the memory 106.

  In step S502, the value of the selected number Nx stored in the memory 106 and the value of the maximum selection number 137 stored in the HDD 108 are compared. If the value of the selected number Nx is greater than or equal to the value of the maximum selection number 137, step S503 is executed. If the value of the selected number Nx is not equal to or greater than the value of the maximum selection number 137, step S504 is executed. FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a storage state in which each moving image to which a selection number is assigned is stored in the HDD 108. The moving images corresponding to the selection numbers “0” to “8” are stored in the HDD 108 as shown in FIG. Since the maximum selection number 137 stored in the HDD 108 is the total number of moving images that can be selected by the information processing apparatus 1, “9” is stored in the second embodiment.

  In step S503, since the value of the selected number Nx is equal to or greater than the value of the maximum selected number 137, the value of the selected number Nx in the memory 106 is temporarily stored as “0”.

  In step S <b> 504, moving image file display information corresponding to the value of Nx stored in the memory 106 is output to the display information display unit 71 of the liquid crystal display 4. When the value of the selection number Nx is “6”, “action_A” is selected as the moving image title name information 144, and “action_A.jpg” is selected as the moving image display information 145. “Action_A.jpg” corresponding to “action_A” is read from the HDD 108 and output to the moving image display information display unit 71 of the liquid crystal display 4. If the value of the selection number Nx is equal to or greater than “9” stored in the maximum selection number 137 of the HDD 108, “0” is temporarily stored as the selection number Nx in step S503. Therefore, the display information displayed on the moving image display information display unit 71 next to the moving image display information with the selection number “8” is determined as moving image display information with the selection number “0”.

  In step S505, the information “action_a.jpg” continues to be displayed by the display information display unit 71 of the liquid crystal display 4 until a predetermined time represented by the display maintenance time information 148 in the HDD 108 has elapsed. After executing step S505, the process returns to step S310.

  By repeatedly executing the above steps S501 to S505, the information displayed by the display information display unit 71 is switched in the order of the selection numbers “0” to “8”.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the first modification of the display switching program illustrated in FIG. 21 in the second embodiment. In the first modification, the main menu shown in FIG. 23 is displayed in six display areas according to the main menu display information. The six display areas include a moving image display information display unit 81 to 85 and a selection unit 86. Display information of different types of moving image files is output to the moving image display information display units 81 to 85. When the selection unit 86 is pressed, information of the moving image display information display units 81 to 85 is switched. Moreover, the display maintenance time shown in FIG. 24 is determined as a speed at which the information of the moving image display information display units 81 to 85 is switched based on the pressing force.

  In step S601, the display maintenance time is determined based on the pressing force determined by the subtask program 139 shown in FIG. FIG. 24 is a conceptual diagram showing a storage state in which the pressing force corresponding to the size of the contact area and the display maintenance time corresponding to the pressing force are stored in the HDD 108. As shown in FIG. 24, the display maintenance time corresponding to the size of the contact area and the pressing force is stored as display maintenance time information 148 of the HDD 108. Based on the table shown in FIG. 24, the display maintenance time is determined. For example, when the size of the contact area is “1600”, the pressing force is determined as “1.8”, and the display maintenance time is determined as “600 msec”.

  In step S602, after the display maintenance time is determined in step S601, time counting is started.

  In step S603, it is determined whether the time elapsed since the time count was started in step S602 has reached the display maintenance time determined in step S601. If the time counted by the timer has not reached the display maintenance time determined in step S601, step S603 is repeated again. When the time counted by the timer reaches the display maintenance time determined in step S601, the process proceeds to step S604. If the display maintenance time is determined to be “600 msec” in step 601, step S603 is repeated until the timer reaches “600 msec”.

  In step S <b> 604, the value stored in the selected number Nx stored in the memory 106 is incremented by “1” and temporarily stored in the memory 106.

  In step S605, the value of the selected number Nx stored in the memory 106 is compared with the value of the maximum selection number 137 stored in the HDD 108. If the value of the selection number Nx is greater than or equal to the value of the maximum selection number 137, the process proceeds to step S606. If the value of the selected number Nx is smaller than the value of the maximum selection number 137, the process proceeds to step S607.

  In step S606, since it is determined that the value of the selected number Nx is equal to or greater than the value of the maximum selected number 137, the value of the selected number Nx in the memory 106 is temporarily stored as “0”.

  In step S607, the moving image display information 145 displayed on the moving image display information display units 81 to 85 is determined. The moving image display information 145 corresponding to the value of the selected number Nx stored in the memory 106 is read from the HDD 108. The moving image display information 145 read from the HDD 108 is output to the moving image display information display unit of the liquid crystal display 4. For example, when the value of the selected number Nx is “0”, “suspension_A.jpg” which is the moving image display information corresponding to the selection number “0” is read from the HDD 108 and is displayed by the moving image display information display unit 83. Is displayed. The moving image display information display unit 84 displays the moving image display information with the selection number “1”. The moving image display information display unit 85 displays the moving image display information with the selection number “2”. The moving image display information display unit 81 displays moving image display information with the selection number “7”. The moving image display information display unit 82 displays moving image display information with the selection number “8”. That is, the moving image display information display sections 81 to 85 display the moving image display information of the selection numbers “7”, “8”, “0”, “1”, and “2”, respectively. After that, when the value of the selected number Nx is incremented by 1 in step S604, the selection numbers “8”, “0”, “1”, “2”, “3” are displayed by the moving image display information display units 81 to 85. "Are displayed in order.

  As in the second embodiment, the information from the moving image display information display units 81 to 85 is continuously displayed according to the value of the selected number Nx by repeatedly executing the processing from step S601 to step S607. Can be switched. Moreover, since display maintenance time can be determined based on pressing force, the speed which switches the display of the moving image display information display parts 81-85, ie, the speed which scrolls a display, can be changed.

(Modification 2)
The CCD camera 7 may be a camera capable of capturing only a monochrome image in addition to a camera capable of capturing a color image. In addition, a CMOS camera, a video camera, a still camera, a wide-angle camera, or the like may be used.

(Modification 3)
The CCD camera 7 may be configured to be installed at a place other than the upper position in the vertical direction of the liquid crystal display 4 shown in FIG. For example, it may be installed at a lower position of the liquid crystal display 4 in FIG. 1, or at a right position or a left position of the liquid crystal display 4 in FIG. FIG. 25 shows a modification in which the reflection by the mirror 405 is used when the contact portion is photographed. By using the mirror 405, the CCD camera 407 can be installed at a position other than the position described in this specification.

(Modification 4)
The material of the transparent frame 3 may be anything as long as it is a transparent material and can be easily processed into various shapes. For example, acrylic and polycarbonate, which are thermoplastic resins, are transparent and can be easily molded into various shapes, and thus are suitable as materials for the transparent member of the present embodiment. Since the transparent member is made of PET, the transparent member can be made at low cost. It may also be made of glass. In the present invention, it is not necessary to deposit a transparent electrode in order to detect contact. Therefore, general transparent thermoplastic resins represented by plastics can be used.

(Modification 5)
The transparent frame 3 may have a shape other than a curved surface depending on the application. For example, you may comprise from the shape comprised only from a plane, and the shape which has both a plane and a curved surface.

(Modification 6)
The display unit may be other than the liquid crystal display. For example, a CRT display that displays an image according to an image signal, a plasma display, or an organic EL display may be used. Further, instead of a display that displays an image according to an image signal, display may be performed using paper on which information is printed. Information on the Web may be displayed on the above-described display via the Internet. By using the Internet, the types of information that can be displayed on the display increase.

(Modification 7)
The figure included in step S210 may be a square other than a square or a rectangle. For example, a trapezoid may be used.

(Modification 8)
The center of gravity of the contact area may be used as the contact position in this specification. The coordinate value of the center of gravity position is determined by the coordinate values of the X axis and the Y axis, as shown in FIG. The coordinate value of the barycentric position of the contact portion is obtained by calculating the sum of the coordinate values of the X coordinate and the sum of the coordinate values of the Y coordinate of each pixel included in the contact portion, that is, the sum of the pixels included in the contact portion, that is, It is obtained by dividing by the contact area of the contact portion. In the present embodiment, the position of the lower left pixel of the photographed image is defined as the origin, but is not limited to the lower left. For example, the position of the origin may be arbitrarily set with the uppermost position of the image or the center position of the image as the origin. In this embodiment, one pixel is set as one coordinate value, but one pixel is not limited to one coordinate value. For example, two pixels may be appropriately changed as one coordinate value. One coordinate value may be determined by an arbitrary number of pixels.

(Modification 9)
As shown in FIG. 1, a configuration in which the CPU 5, the memory 6, and the HDD 8 are not provided in the entire frame 2 of the present apparatus may be employed. For example, image data may be transmitted to an external server, and processing may be performed using a CPU, memory, or HDD provided in the external server. In that case, a device for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external server via the Internet is required inside the entire frame 2.

(Modification 10)
The timing at which photographing is performed by the CCD camera 7 is every second in the embodiments and modifications described in the specification. Shooting timing is not limited to every second, and shooting may be performed at an arbitrary timing such as every 0.1 seconds or every 2 seconds. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the subtask program 38 or the subtask program 139 is periodically executed every 10 msec. The subtask program may be executed randomly rather than periodically.

(Modification 11)
In this specification, the contact area is used as the size of the contact portion. The size of the contact portion may be determined using the length of four sides of a rectangle or square that includes the shape of the contact portion and is in contact with the contact portion. Further, the outer periphery of the shape of the contact portion may be the size of the contact portion.

(Modification 12)
As the contact body in the present specification, a dedicated pen or the like in which a flexible material is attached to the end of a long member may be used. In this case, a flexible material is used such that when the transparent frame is pressed with a dedicated pen, the contact area of the contact portion between the tip of the dedicated pen and the transparent frame changes according to the pressing force. .

(Modification 13)
In the contact input type information processing apparatus 1 in this specification, selection of information displayed by the display unit and execution of processing corresponding to the selected information are performed. The contact input type information processing apparatus 1 may be configured such that only the information displayed on the display unit is selected and the processing corresponding to the selected information is executed by another device. For example, a configuration in which processing is performed by another device that is directly electrically connected to the contact input type information processing apparatus may be employed. Further, a configuration in which a contact input type information processing apparatus is connected to the Internet and processing is executed by another device connected on the network may be employed.

(Modification 14)
As the size of the contact area, the total value of the lengths of the minor axis and the major axis of the contact part or one of the values may be used. A method of determining the shape of the contact portion using the contact portion 66 of FIG. 13 will be described. In the contact portion 68, which is an enlarged view of the contact portion 66, the maximum vertical length and the maximum horizontal length are obtained. As in the first and second embodiments, assuming that one pixel has one coordinate value, the maximum vertical length is determined as “20” and the maximum horizontal length as “13”. The size of the contact portion 66 is determined by the values of the maximum vertical length and the maximum horizontal length determined by the above method.

(Modification 15)
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the magnitude of the pressing force may be displayed on the liquid crystal display 4. The user can adjust the size of the contact area while viewing the size of the pressing force displayed by the liquid crystal display 4. Therefore, it is effective to estimate the magnitude of the pressing force. If it is not always necessary to display the pressing force, the display maintaining time may be determined directly using the contact area.

(Modification 16)
In FIG. 10 of the first embodiment and FIG. 24 of the first modification of the second embodiment, the magnitude of the pressing force is estimated based on the size of the contact area. It is not limited. For example, in order to estimate the magnitude of the pressing force, the length of four sides of a rectangle or square that includes the shape of the contact portion and is in contact with the contact portion may be used. Moreover, the magnitude | size of pressing force may be estimated by making the outer periphery of the shape of a contact part into the magnitude | size of a contact part.

(Modification 17)
In FIG. 24 of the first modification of the second embodiment, the display maintenance time corresponding to the magnitude of the pressing force estimated from the size of the contact area is determined, but the pressing force and the display maintenance time are not necessarily determined. It may not be associated. The size of the contact area may be directly associated with the display maintenance time.

(Modification 18)
In the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the first modification of the second embodiment, the main menu shown in FIGS. 8, 19, and 23 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 4, respectively. In the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the first modification of the second embodiment, the moving image display information display units 51 to 55 shown in FIG. 8, the input unit 72 shown in FIG. 19, and FIG. 23, respectively. The display position on the transparent frame 3 corresponding to the selection button 86 is pressed by the user so that the display corresponding to each is switched. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A configuration in which a position on the transparent frame 3 where specific display information is not displayed and a process corresponding to the position is determined and stored in the HDD 8 or the HDD 108 may be used. For example, in FIG. 8, on the transparent frame 3 corresponding to the area other than where the moving image display information display units 51 to 55 and the moving image reproduction unit 56 that are specific display information displayed on the liquid crystal display 4 are displayed. The position may be pressed by the user, and the display of the moving image display information display sections 51 to 55 corresponding to the position and the pressing force may be switched.

1 is a side view of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is a front view of a 1st embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the detail of the memory content of the memory 6 in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the detail of the memory content of HDD8 in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the main operation | movement in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the subtask in 1st Embodiment. It is an example of the main menu information 40 displayed on the liquid crystal display 4 in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a storage state in which a moving image file in the first embodiment is stored in the HDD 8. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the memory | storage state in which the magnitude | size of the contact area in 1st Embodiment and the pressing force determination information 44 are memorize | stored in HDD8. It is an example which displayed the X-axis and the Y-axis on the main menu information 40 displayed on the liquid crystal display 4 in 1st Embodiment. 8 shows an example of a method for performing background removal in step S202 in the flowchart of FIG. 7 showing the subtask operation in the first embodiment. An example of the method for determining the contact area in step S208 in the flowchart of FIG. 7 showing the subtask operation will be described. An example of a method for determining the contact position in step S210 in the flowchart of FIG. 7 showing the subtask operation as one point will be described. It is a figure which shows the detail of the memory content of the memory 106 in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the detail of the memory content of HDD108 in 2nd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram showing the memory | storage state in which each moving image file to which the selection number in 2nd Embodiment was allocated is memorize | stored in HDD108. It is a flowchart which shows the main operation | movement in 2nd Embodiment. It is an example of the main menu information 140 displayed on the liquid crystal display 4 in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process determination operation | movement in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the display switching operation | movement in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the display switching operation | movement in the modification 1 of 2nd Embodiment. It is an example of the main menu information 140 displayed on the liquid crystal display 4 in the modification 1 of 2nd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the memory | storage state in which the pressing force corresponding to the magnitude | size of the contact area in the modification 1 of 2nd Embodiment and the display maintenance time corresponding to a pressing force are memorize | stored in HDD8. It is a side view of the modification 3 which can change the arrangement position of a CCD camera to arbitrary positions by using a mirror.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Contact input type information processing apparatus 2 Whole frame 3 Transparent frame 4 Liquid crystal display 5 CPU
6,106 Memory 7 CCD camera 8,108 HDD
9 Support stand 10 Audio output device 11, 111 Captured image data 12, 112 Contact area of contact position candidate 14, 114 Input position data 15, 20, 115, 120 Input position 16, 21, 116, 121 Final contact area 17, 22 117, 122 Pressing force 18, 23, 118, 123 Touch selection item 31, 131 Program 32, 132 Color information 33, 133 Display information 34, 134 Size information of contact part 35, 135 Display position information 36, 136 Movie information 37, 138 Main program 38, 139 Subtask program 39, 142 Touch part color information 40, 143 Main menu information 41, 144 Movie title name information 42, 145 Movie display information 43, 146 Movie playback information 44, 147 Pressure determination information 148 Display maintenance time information 51 video display information display unit 52 video display information display unit 53 video display information display unit 54 video display information display unit 55 video display information display unit 56 video playback unit 61, 62, 64 photographed image data 63 differential image data 65, 66 contact Part 67 Pixel 68 Pixel in contact part 71 Movie display information display unit 72 Input unit 81 Movie display information display unit 82 Movie display information display unit 83 Movie display information display unit 84 Movie display information display unit 85 Movie display information display unit 86 Select button Nx Selection number 137 Maximum selection number 140 Processing decision program 141 Display switching program

Claims (13)

A transparent member capable of being pressed while the contact body is in contact;
A display unit for displaying information visible to the user through the transparent member;
An imaging unit disposed at a position for capturing an image of a contact portion between the contact body and the transparent member from a surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member with which the contact body can contact;
An image processing unit that inputs an image photographed by the photographing unit through the transparent member and determines the size of the contact portion that changes according to the strength with which the contact body presses the transparent member;
A process control unit that determines a process to be executed based on the size of the contact portion determined by the image processing unit;
A contact input type information processing apparatus. A transparent member that can be pressed while part of the user's body is in contact;
A display unit for displaying information visible to the user through the transparent member;
A photographing unit disposed at a position for photographing an image of a contact portion between a part of the user's body and the transparent member from a surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member with which the part of the user's body can contact; ,
An image processing unit that inputs an image photographed by the photographing unit through the transparent member and determines the size of the contact portion that changes according to the strength with which a part of the user's body presses the transparent member. When,
A process control unit that determines a process to be executed based on the size of the contact portion determined by the image processing unit;
A contact input type information processing apparatus.   The contact input type information according to claim 1, wherein the processing control unit determines a process of switching information displayed by the display unit based on a size of the contact portion. Processing equipment.   The said process control part displays the selection item switched to several different selection content on the said display part, and determines the process which switches the selection content of a selection item based on the magnitude | size of the said contact part. The contact input type information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The image processing unit inputs an image photographed through the transparent member by the photographing unit, determines a contact position of the contact portion on the transparent member,
The process control unit determines a process of selecting desired information from a plurality of information displayed by the display unit based on the contact position, and based on the size of the contact part. 4. The contact input type information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a process for switching the selected information is determined. The display unit displays a plurality of the selection items,
The image processing unit inputs an image photographed through the transparent member by the photographing unit, determines a contact position of the contact portion on the transparent member,
Comparing the contact position determined by the image processing unit and the display position on the transparent member on which the selection item is displayed, a position determination unit that determines whether or not both positions match,
When the position determination unit determines that the contact position matches the display position of the selection item, the processing control unit selects the selection item that matches both positions based on the size of the contact part. The contact input type information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a process for switching contents is determined. The display unit can display a plurality of selection items,
3. The process control unit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of selection items are scrolled and displayed on the display unit, and the scroll speed is determined based on the size of the contact portion. The contact input type information processing apparatus described in 1. An area storage unit that stores a plurality of different predetermined area sizes,
The image processing unit inputs an image photographed by the photographing unit through the transparent member, and a contact area of the contact portion that changes according to a strength with which a part of a user presses the transparent member. Determine the size of
Further, the image processing unit
An area discriminating unit for discriminating whether or not the size of the contact area has reached one of the plurality of different predetermined area sizes;
A time measuring unit for measuring an elapsed time from when the size of the contact area reaches one of the plurality of different predetermined area sizes;
Contact area maintenance for determining whether the size of the contact area is maintained at any predetermined area until the elapsed time measured by the time measurement unit reaches a predetermined time. A determination unit,
When the contact area maintenance determination unit determines that the contact area size is maintained at any one of the predetermined area sizes, the image processing unit finally determines the determined contact area size. The contact input type information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the contact input type information area is determined as a typical contact area size. When the size of the contact portion determined by the image processing unit is a first predetermined size, the processing control unit determines a process of switching information displayed by the display unit,
When the size of the contact portion determined by the image processing unit is a second predetermined size, the processing control unit determines a process for determining a process corresponding to information displayed by the display unit. The contact input type information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The contact input type information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transparent member is made of plastic.   The contact input type information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the transparent member has a curved surface. A display step for displaying information visible to the user through a transparent member that can be pressed by a part of the user's body;
A photographing step of photographing an image of a contact portion between a part of the user's body and the transparent member from a surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member with which the part of the user's body can contact;
A size determining step of inputting the photographed image and determining a size of the contact portion that changes according to a strength with which a part of a user's body presses the transparent member;
A process determining step for determining a process to be executed based on the determined size of the contact portion;
A contact input type information processing method. A display step for displaying information visible to the user through a transparent member that can be pressed by a part of the user's body; and
A photographing step of photographing an image of a contact portion between a part of the user's body and the transparent member from a surface opposite to the surface of the transparent member with which the part of the user's body can contact;
A size determining step of inputting the photographed image and determining the size of the contact portion that changes according to the strength with which a part of the user's body presses the transparent member;
A process determining step for determining a process to be executed based on the determined size of the contact portion;
An information processing program that causes a computer to execute.