JP2013250726A - Touch panel device, detection method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect a pressing position earlier than a pressing force in a touch panel device 1 using plural pressure sensors 5.SOLUTION: On the basis of the detection results of plural pressure sensors 5 that detect a pressure to an operation face 4, a pressing position is detected prior to detection of a pressing force, and therefore it is possible to detect a pressing position earlier than a pressing force.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for detecting a contact position of a user on an operation surface of a touch panel device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a touch panel device that uses a plurality of pressure sensors to detect a position and pressure touched (contacted) by a user and executes control corresponding to the operation is known. Such a touch panel device detects the pressing position and the pressing force at the peak of the pressing force caused by the user's contact operation. As a document disclosing such a touch panel device, there is the following Patent Document 1.

JP 2011-213161 A

  However, the occurrence timing of the peak of the pressing force is not constant depending on the operation situation. For this reason, the user's contact operation cannot be detected until the peak of the pressing force is detected, and the responsiveness decreases as the generation of the peak is delayed.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for executing control of high responsiveness to a user operation with respect to a touch panel device using a plurality of pressure sensors.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is a touch panel device, which is arranged at different positions and based on detection results of a plurality of pressure sensors for detecting pressure on the operation surface. A position detecting means for detecting a pressing position with respect to the operating surface; and a pressing force detecting means for detecting a pressing force with respect to the operating surface based on detection results of the plurality of pressure sensors, the position detecting means, The pressing position is detected before the pressing force is detected by the pressing force detection means.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the touch panel device according to claim 1, further comprising press detection means for detecting the start of pressing on the operation surface based on a detection result of the pressure sensor, and the position detection means. Detects the pressing position after a first time has elapsed from when the pressing detection means detects the start of pressing, and the pressing force detection means detects when the pressing detection means detects the start of pressing. The pressing force is detected after the elapse of a second time longer than the first time.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the touch panel device according to claim 2, further comprising a peak detecting means for detecting a peak of pressing on the operation surface based on a detection result of the pressure sensor, and the position detecting means. When the peak detecting means detects the pressing peak before the first time elapses, the pressing position is detected regardless of the elapse of the first time.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the touch panel device according to claim 2, further comprising a peak detection means for detecting a peak of pressure on the operation surface based on a detection result of the pressure sensor, wherein the pressure detection is performed. The means detects the pressing force regardless of the elapse of the second time when the peak detecting means detects the pressure peak before the elapse of the second time.

  The invention of claim 5 is a detection method for detecting a contact position and a pressing force based on detection results of a plurality of pressure sensors which are arranged at different positions and detect pressures on the operation surface of the touch panel device. a) detecting a pressure on the operation surface; (b) detecting a pressed position on the operation surface based on a detection result in the step (a); and (c) in the step (a). The step (b) is performed before the step (c). The step (b) is performed based on the detection result.

  The invention according to claim 6 is a program executable by a computer included in a touch panel device that is arranged at different positions and includes a plurality of pressure sensors for detecting pressure on the operation surface, and is based on the computer of the program. The execution includes: (a) detecting a pressure on the operation surface; (b) detecting a pressing position on the operation surface based on a detection result in the step (a); c) Based on the detection result in the step (a), the step of detecting the pressing force on the operation surface is executed, and the step (b) is executed before the step (c).

  According to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, since the pressing position is detected before the pressing force is detected, the pressing position can be detected earlier than the detection of the pressing force.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 2, the detection of the pressing position and the pressing force can be performed at an appropriate time based on the passage of time.

  In particular, according to the third aspect of the invention, the pressed position and the pressed force are detected based on the peak detection regardless of the passage of time, so that the pressed position can be appropriately detected.

In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the pressing position and the pressing force are detected based on the peak detection regardless of the passage of time, so that the pressing force can be appropriately detected.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the touch panel device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a time chart showing the passage of time of the pressing force applied to the operation panel. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the touch panel device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the touch panel device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a time chart for explaining the change over time of the pressing force according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the touch panel device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the surface of the operation panel. FIG. 8 is a time chart for explaining the change over time of the pressing force according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the touch panel device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the touch panel device according to the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. First Embodiment>
<1-1. Overview>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a touch panel device 1 according to the first embodiment.

  The touch panel device 1 is an electronic control device configured as a part of a navigation device or the like mounted on a vehicle 2 (automobile in the present embodiment). When the operation panel 4 is touched by the user 3 who is an operator of the touch panel device 1, the touch panel device 1 executes control corresponding to the command button at the touch position. The contact operation is detected by a plurality of pressure sensors 5 (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) provided on the operation panel 4. By operating the operation panel 4, the user 3 can execute, for example, route search in navigation and control of destination setting.

  The pressure sensors 5 are arranged at the four corners of the operation panel 4 and detect the pressing force of the user 3 on the operation panel 4 serving as the operation surface. Since the pressure transmitted to the pressure sensors 5 arranged at the four corners differs depending on the pressed position and pressure, the touch panel device 1 includes a data table in which the detection values of the pressure sensors 5 and the contact positions are associated in advance. Based on the data table, the contact position can be detected from the detection value of each pressure sensor 5. Further, the touch panel device 1 can detect the contact pressure by adding the detection values detected by the pressure sensors 5.

  FIG. 2 is a time chart showing changes with time of the general pressing force P applied to the operation panel 4 when the user 3 touches the operation panel 4. When the user 3 starts pressing the operation panel 4 at time ts, the pressing force P gradually increases and reaches a peak at time tp. When the pressing force P reaches a peak, the pressing force P changes and decreases, and the pressing force P disappears at time te, that is, the contact operation by the user 3 is finished. As shown in the figure, in a general contact operation, the peak arrival time tp is the latter half of the intermediate point from the pressing start time ts to the pressing end time te. This is presumably because the contact operation of the user 3 to the operation panel 4 is performed faster than the pressing operation than the pressing operation. Such peak arrival time tp is about 1.5 [sec] from the press start time ts, and press end time te is about 2.0 [sec] from the press start time ts.

<1-2. Configuration>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the touch panel device 1 according to the first embodiment. The touch panel device 1 includes a touch panel unit 11, a display unit 12, and a main body unit 13 that are electrically connected to each other.

  The touch panel unit 11 is a member that receives an input from the user 3 through a contact operation from the user 3, and is arranged on the dashboard so that the operation can be easily performed by a vehicle occupant, particularly a driver. The touch panel unit 11 includes an operation panel 4 and a pressure sensor 5 (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d).

  The operation panel 4 is an operation surface on which the user 3 performs a contact operation on an area indicating command buttons displayed on the display unit. The operation panel 4 is made of glass or acrylic.

  The pressure sensors 5 (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) are sensors that are arranged at different positions on the back surface (the surface opposite to the pressing surface) of the operation panel 4 and detect the pressing force applied to the operation panel 4. For example, a strain gauge. The pressure sensor 5 includes a resistor (not shown) whose resistance value changes when pressed, and a voltage (sensor voltage) proportional to the applied pressing force based on the resistance value changed by pressing, a reference voltage, and the like. ) Is generated in a detection resistor (not shown). A control unit described later detects a voltage generated in the detection resistor, and detects a pressing force applied to the operation panel 4. In this way, the touch panel device 1 can detect how much pressure the user 3 has pressed against the operation panel 4 with the pressure sensor 5. In the present embodiment, the pressure sensors 5 are arranged at the four corners of the operation panel 4, but may be arranged at any position in contact with the operation panel 4. This is because when the user 3 presses the operation panel 4, pressure is generated at any position of the operation panel 4.

  The display unit 12 includes a display panel 6 and a display driver 7 and displays video information for the user 3.

  The display panel 6 is a liquid crystal display or the like that is disposed so as to overlap the touch panel unit 11 and displays a command button, a map, or the like that receives an instruction from the user 3.

  The display driver 7 is a drive circuit that adjusts the luminance and color tone of the display panel 6 and causes the display panel 6 to display image information transmitted from the control unit 8.

  The main body 13 is an electronic control device that includes a control unit 8, a storage unit 9, and a card slot 10.

  The control unit 8 is a computer including a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM. The control by the control unit 8 is realized by the CPU executing arithmetic processing according to a firmware program stored in advance in the ROM. The control unit 8 includes a pressure detection unit 81, a position detection unit 82, a peak detection unit 83, a pressure detection unit 84, a time measurement unit 85, and a command execution unit 86 in addition to a CPU and the like.

  The press detection unit 81 detects the sensor voltage of each pressure sensor 5 and determines whether the detected sensor voltage exceeds a predetermined value, thereby detecting whether the user 3 has pressed the operation panel 4 and performed a contact operation. To do. The predetermined value may be determined based on the detection sensitivity of the pressure sensor 5.

  The position detector 82 detects the sensor voltage of each pressure sensor 5 and detects the position on the operation panel 4 pressed by the user 3 based on a data table 91 described later.

  The peak detector 83 detects whether or not the pressing force applied to the operation panel 4 by the user 3 has reached a peak. The peak detection unit 83 detects the pressing peak by detecting the time point when the pressing force changes from increasing to decreasing.

  The pressure detection unit 84 adds the sensor voltages of the pressure sensors 5 and detects the value of the pressure applied to the operation panel 4.

  The timer 85 is a timer that measures the passage of time.

  The command execution unit 86 executes a command corresponding to the touch operation on the operation panel 4 of the user 3. For example, when the user 3 performs a touch operation on a command button indicating execution of navigation, the command execution unit 86 starts route guidance in navigation. Note that commands executed by the command execution unit 86 include those based on the position where the operation panel 4 is touched and those based on the pressing force. The command based on the touched position is, for example, related to screen display, and specifically, is a command related to scrolling or scaling of the map screen. Since the command related to the screen display has a relatively small influence on the user 3, it is preferable that the command is executed at an early stage by detecting only the position without waiting for the detection of the pressing force above a certain level. This is because the operation intention of the user 3 can be reflected in the control earlier. Further, the command based on the pressing force operated by the contact is related to, for example, the start and end of control, and specifically is a command related to execution of navigation, reproduction of music media, and the like. Since the command related to the start and end of control has a relatively large influence on the user 3, it is preferable that the command be executed after detection of a predetermined pressure or more. This is because the operation intention of the user 3 can be more reliably reflected in the control.

  The storage unit 9 is a non-volatile storage medium, and stores a data table 91, a program 92, map information, and the like. The storage unit 9 is, for example, an EEPROM (Electrical Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a flash memory, a hard disk drive including a magnetic disk, or the like.

  The data table 91 includes values obtained by normalizing the voltage values of the four pressure sensors 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d (ratio when the sum of the voltage values of the pressure sensors is 1) and the position coordinates on the operation panel 4. It is a table composed of associated data. For example, when the voltage values of the pressure sensors 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d arranged at the four corners of the operation panel 4 all indicate 5 [v], the normalized value of each voltage value is 0.25: 0.25. : 0.25: 0.25. In such a case where the values obtained by normalizing the voltage values are all equal, the position touched by the user 3 is the center position of the operation panel 4.

  The program 92 is firmware that is read from the storage unit 9 by the control unit 8 and executed for the control unit 8 to control the touch panel device 1.

  The card slot 10 is an insertion slot for a memory card, and reads / writes data from / to the inserted memory card.

  The memory card 10a is a portable recording medium including a flash memory or the like.

<1-3. Processing procedure>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the touch panel device 1 according to the first embodiment. Such processing starts when the touch panel device 1 is turned on or started up, and is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

  When the process is started, the pressure detection unit 81 determines whether or not a pressure is applied to the operation panel 4 (step S111). The case where it is determined by the press detection unit 81 that the operation panel 4 has been pressed is a case where the user 3 has made a contact operation. Therefore, the press detection unit 81 determines whether or not the applied pressing force is a value corresponding to the start of the contact operation. The value of the pressing force may be stored in the storage unit 9 by making a contact operation with the operation panel 4 in advance.

  When the pressure detection unit 81 determines that no pressure is applied to the operation panel 4 (No in step S111), the processing procedure ends. This is because the pressing position and the pressing force cannot be detected as long as it is determined that the pressing by the user 3 is not applied.

  On the other hand, when the press detection unit 81 determines that a press is applied to the operation panel 4 (Yes in step S111), the time measuring unit 85 starts measuring the passage of time (step S112). When starting the measurement, the time measuring unit 85 determines whether or not the first predetermined time t1 has elapsed from the start of measurement, that is, from the start of pressing on the operation panel 4 by the user 3 (step S113). The first predetermined time t1 is determined so that the pressure sensor 5 can detect a pressure value sufficient to detect the position even if the pressing force does not reach a peak in a general change of the pressing force. For example, the time t1 is 0.5 [sec]. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, in a general time change of the pressing force, the time t1 is set between ts at the start of pressing and tp which is the peak of pressing force.

  When it is determined by the time measuring unit 85 that the time t1 has elapsed (Yes in step S113), the position detecting unit 82 is pressed by the user 3 on the operation panel 4 based on the detected value of the pressure sensor 5 and the data table 91. The detected position is detected (step S114). In addition, if time t1 passes in the general press as shown in FIG. 2, the pressure sensor 5 can detect a pressure value sufficient for detecting the position as described above, so that the peak arrives as before. The position detection can be performed after the time t1 without waiting. This makes it possible to detect the position earlier compared to the conventional technique in which the pressing position and the pressing force are detected at the peak of the pressing force. Further, by performing the position detection at an early stage, it is possible to improve the responsiveness of command execution based on the position detection.

  When the detection of the pressing position in step S114 is executed, that is, when it is determined that the time t1 has elapsed and the detection of the pressing position is executed, the command execution unit 86 executes a command based on the pressing position (step S115).

  On the other hand, when the time measuring unit 85 determines that the time t1 has not elapsed (No in step S113), the peak detecting unit 83 determines whether or not the pressing force has reached a peak (step S116). If it is determined that the pressing force has not reached the peak (No in step S116), the process returns to step S113, and the time measuring unit 85 determines again whether the time t1 has elapsed.

  When the peak detection unit 83 determines that the pressing force has reached the peak (Yes in step S116), the pressing force detection unit 84 determines whether or not the pressing force exceeds the peak threshold value (step S117). This is to avoid erroneous detection based on a small peak caused by vibration or poor contact. Accordingly, an appropriate value for the peak threshold value may be stored in the storage unit 9 by performing a touch operation on the operation panel 4 in advance and acquiring the peak value. When the pressing force detection unit 84 determines that the pressing force does not exceed the peak threshold value (No in step S117), the time measuring unit 85 determines again whether the time t1 has elapsed (step S113). .

  When the pressing force detection unit 84 determines that the pressing force has exceeded the peak threshold value (Yes in step S117), the position detection unit 82 allows the user 3 to operate the operation panel 4 based on the detection value of the pressure sensor 5 and the data table 91. The position where is pressed is detected (step S118).

  When the detection of the pressing position is executed by the position detection unit 82, that is, when it is determined that a peak has occurred before the elapse of time t1 and the detection of the pressing position is executed, the command execution unit 86 sets the pressing position. The command based on the command is executed (step S119). Note that the execution of the command in step S119 is a case where the peak of the pressing force occurs before the time t1 elapses, unlike the change with time of the general pressing force. In such a case, it is considered that the user 3 has put a strong will of operation into the contact operation, that is, the contact operation is performed with a strong pressing force so that the command can be executed quickly and reliably, and the operability for the user 3 is deteriorated. To prevent. This is because if the peak of the pressing force occurs before the time t1 elapses, the pressing force decreases beyond the peak when the time t1 elapses, and a pressure value appropriate for detecting the pressing position and the pressing force cannot be detected.

  In step S119, when the command execution unit 86 executes the command, the process proceeds to step S122, and the pressing force is detected. Details of the processing in step S122 will be described later.

  On the other hand, when the command is executed in step S115, the time measuring unit 85 determines whether or not the second predetermined time t2 has elapsed from the start of measurement, that is, from the start of pressing on the operation panel 4 by the user 3 (step S115). S120). The second predetermined time t2 is longer than t1 and shorter than the peak arrival time in a general pressing operation, and it is possible to detect a pressing force enough to determine that the user 3 has pressed with the intention of operation. Determined in time. As a result, even if the pressing force is detected before reaching the peak and a command is executed based on the pressing force, it is not necessary to extend the time from the start of the pressing to the command execution based on the pressing force more than necessary. The operability of 3 is not lowered. The time t2 is, for example, 0.75 [sec]. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the time t2 is set between the time t1 and tp that is the peak of the pressing force.

  If the time measuring unit 85 determines that the time t2 has not elapsed (No in step S120), the peak detecting unit 83 determines whether or not the pressing force has reached the peak (step S121). If it is determined in step S121 that the peak of the pressing force is not detected by the peak detector 83 (No in step S121), the process returns to step S120, and the timer 85 determines again whether the time t2 has elapsed.

  If a peak is detected in step S120 (Yes in step S120), if it is determined in step S121 that time t2 has elapsed (Yes in step S121), or a command based on position detection is executed in step S119. In that case, the pressing force detection unit 84 detects the pressing force (step S122). The reason why the pressing force is detected when the peak is detected in step S120 is that it is considered that the pressing force should be detected because the pressing has reached the peak. In addition, when it is determined in step S121 that the time t2 has elapsed, the pressing force is detected by detecting the pressing force based on the elapse of time t2 even if the pressing does not reach the peak. It is because a fall can be prevented. In addition, when the command based on the position detection is executed in step S119, the pressing force is detected because the peak is already detected and the peak threshold is exceeded in the process before the execution of step S119. This is because it is considered that it is time to detect pressure.

  When the pressing position is detected in step S122, the command execution unit 86 executes a command based on the pressing position (step S123).

  If step S123 is performed, the process which detects the contact position and pressure to the operation panel 4 will be complete | finished.

  As described above, the present embodiment detects the pressing position before the pressing force is detected based on the detection results of the plurality of pressure sensors that detect the pressure on the operation surface. This can be done earlier than the detection of pressure. Further, since the command can be executed based on the detection of the pressed position, the command can be executed at an early stage as compared with the execution of the command based on the detection of the pressing force, and the responsiveness of the touch panel operation can be improved.

<2. Second Embodiment>
<2-1. Overview>
Conventionally, input to the touch panel device has been based on a touch (contact) operation, but in recent years, an operation such as a so-called flick or drag operation that slides a contact point while touching an operation surface has been performed. The touch panel device measures a linear distance between a start coordinate and an end coordinate such as a flick on the operation surface, and executes control according to the measured distance.

  However, when the flick operation or the like by the user moves along a curve, it is not always possible to measure the exact operation distance by measuring the linear distance between the start coordinate and the end coordinate of the flick operation or the like.

  Therefore, a second embodiment of the present invention aims to provide a technique for accurately measuring an operation distance by a flick operation or the like on a touch panel device.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the touch panel device according to the second embodiment.

  The touch panel device 1 is an electronic control device configured as a part of a navigation device or the like. When the operation panel 4 is touched by the user 3 who is an operator of the touch panel device 1, the touch panel device 1 executes control corresponding to the command button at the touch position. The contact operation by the user 3 is detected by a plurality of pressure sensors 5 (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d). The operation panel 4 according to the second embodiment is configured such that the surface has irregularities formed at regular intervals. The touch panel device 1 derives the operation distance based on the detection value of the pressure sensor 5 generated when the finger of the user 3 slides on the operation panel 4 and touches the unevenness.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the operation panel 4. As shown in the figure, the operation panel 4 has irregularities formed at regular intervals. When the user's 3 finger or the like slides on the operation panel 4 in an operation such as flicking, the unevenness formed even on the surface is continuously contacted.

  FIG. 8 is a time chart showing a detection value PR output from the pressure sensor 5 when the finger of the user 3 touches the unevenness while sliding on the operation panel 4. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the detection value of the pressure sensor 5. As shown in the figure, a pulse PL occurs from time t1 to time t7. The pulse PL is generated when the finger or the like of the user 3 comes into contact with the unevenness of the operation panel 4. When the user's 3 finger or the like exceeds the unevenness, that is, when the pressing force to the operation panel 4 such as the finger suddenly changes when the contact with the unevenness is started or released, such a pulse PL is generated.

<2-2. Configuration>
The touch panel device 1 of the second embodiment includes the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. For this reason, the configuration of the second embodiment will be described below with a focus on differences from the first embodiment.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the touch panel device according to the second embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the control unit 8 includes a pulse detection unit 87 and a distance deriving unit 88. In the description of the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The pulse detector 87 detects the generation of the pulse PL when the detection value PR of the pressure sensor 5 indicates a pulse shape. Further, the pulse detection unit 87 accumulates the number of detected pulses PL.

  The distance deriving unit 88 derives the operation distance by which the finger of the user 3 slides on the operation panel 4 by adding the distance between the irregularities of the operation panel 4 to the number of pulses PL accumulated by the pulse detection unit 87. To do. For example, the distance deriving unit 88 derives the operation distance as 50 [mm] when the pulse detection unit 87 detects the number of pulses PL as 10 and the distance between the irregularities of the operation panel 4 is 5 [mm]. To do. The distance deriving unit 88 may derive the operation distance from a map correlated with the number of pulses PL and the distance between the projections and depressions.

<2-3. Processing procedure>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the touch panel device 1 according to the second embodiment.
Such processing starts when the touch panel device 1 is turned on or started up, and is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle.

  When the process is started, the pressure detection unit 81 determines whether or not a pressure is applied to the operation panel 4 (step S111). The case where it is determined by the press detection unit 81 that the operation panel 4 has been pressed is a case where the user 3 has made a contact operation. Therefore, the press detection unit 81 determines whether or not the applied pressing force is a value corresponding to the start of the contact operation. The value of the pressing force may be acquired by performing a contact operation on the operation panel 4 in advance and stored in the storage unit 9.

  When the pressure detection unit 81 determines that no pressure is applied to the operation panel 4 (No in step S211), the processing procedure ends. This is because the contact distance cannot be derived as long as it is determined that no pressure is applied by the user 3.

  On the other hand, when the press detection unit 81 determines that a press is applied to the operation panel 4 (Yes in step S211), the time measuring unit 85 starts measuring the passage of time (step S212).

  When the time measurement by the time measurement unit 85 is started, the pulse detection unit 87 determines whether or not the pulse PL is generated based on the detection value PR of the pressure sensor 5 (step S213).

  When the pulse detection unit 87 determines that the pulse PL is not generated (No in step S213), the pressing force detection unit 84 determines whether the pressing force due to the flick operation or the like of the user 3 is generated on the operation panel 4 ( Step S214). The pressing force detection unit 84 can determine whether or not the flick operation or the like of the user 3 is continuing by determining whether or not the pressing force is generated on the operation panel 4. This is because the pressing force is not detected when the flick operation or the like is finished and the finger or the like of the user 3 who is pressing the operation panel 4 leaves the operation panel 4. Therefore, when the pressing force detection unit 84 determines that no pressing force is generated on the operation panel 4 (No in step S214), it is determined that the flick operation or the like has ended. In this case, the distance deriving unit 88 derives the operation distance based on the number of pulses PL accumulated by the pulse detecting unit 87 (step S216).

  On the other hand, when the pressing force detection unit 84 determines that the pressing force is generated on the operation panel 4 (Yes in step S214), the time measuring unit 85 determines whether or not the time ts has elapsed from the start of time measurement (step S214). S215). In this case, the user 3 suspends the flick operation or the like while holding the finger or the like on the operation panel 4, and the continuity of the flick operation or the like is determined according to the suspended time. When determining that the time ts has not elapsed (No in step S215), the pulse detector 87 determines again whether or not the pulse PL has occurred based on the detection value PR of the pressure sensor 5 (step S213).

  On the other hand, when the time measuring unit 85 determines that the time ts has elapsed (Yes in step S215), the distance deriving unit 88 derives the operation distance based on the number of pulses PL accumulated by the pulse detecting unit 87 (step S216). ). Thus, the elapse of time ts is determined in order to determine the continuity of the flick operation or the like. That is, as long as the pulse PL is generated within the time ts, it is determined that the generated pulse PL is based on a series of flick operations or the like, and the pulses PL are accumulated and used for deriving the operation distance. Therefore, the time ts is set to a time when it can be determined that the flick operation or the like has been completed, that is, a time when it is possible to determine that the slide will not resume after the slide to the operation panel 4 is stopped by the flick operation or the like. For example, the time ts is 2 [sec].

  On the other hand, when the pulse detection unit 87 determines in step S213 that the pulse PL has occurred (Yes in step S213), the pulse detection unit 87 accumulates the number of detected pulses PL (step S216). Next, the timekeeping unit 85 resets the timekeeping (step S217). Therefore, as long as the pulse PL is generated, the timekeeping continues to be reset, so that the elapsed time does not reach the time ts, and the start of the timekeeping and the detection and accumulation of the pulse PL are repeated.

  When the contact distance is derived by the distance deriving unit 88 in step S215, this processing procedure ends.

  As described above, in the touch panel device 1 using the pressure sensor 5, when acceleration is detected, the process corresponding to the pressing force on the operation panel 4 is not performed, so that erroneous process execution due to the generation of acceleration can be prevented. .

<3. Modification>
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be variously modified. Hereinafter, modified examples will be described. The above embodiments and the embodiments described below can be appropriately combined.

  In the above embodiment, it has been described that the pressure sensors 5 are arranged at the four corners of the touch panel device 1, but need not be arranged at the corners. It may be a predetermined position on the touch panel. Create a table accordingly. It is preferable to disperse as much as possible.

  In the said embodiment, although the navigation apparatus for vehicles was demonstrated to the example as the touchscreen apparatus 1, it is not limited to this. A portable touch panel device may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that various functions are realized in software by the CPU arithmetic processing according to the program. However, some of these functions may be realized by an electrical hardware circuit. . Conversely, some of the functions realized by the hardware circuit may be realized by software.

1 Touch Panel Device 2 Vehicle 3 User 4 Touch Panel 5 Pressure Sensor

Claims (6)

A touch panel device,
A plurality of pressure sensors arranged at different positions to detect pressure on the operation surface;
Position detecting means for detecting a pressed position with respect to the operation surface based on detection results of the plurality of pressure sensors;
A pressing force detecting means for detecting a pressing force with respect to the operation surface based on detection results of the plurality of pressure sensors;
With
The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the position detection unit detects the pressing position before the pressing force is detected by the pressing force detection unit. The touch panel device according to claim 1,
A pressure detection means for detecting the start of pressure on the operation surface based on the detection result of the pressure sensor;
Further comprising
The position detecting means detects the pressing position after a first time has elapsed since the pressing detecting means detected the start of the pressing,
The touch panel device, wherein the pressing force detection unit detects the pressing force after a lapse of a second time longer than the first time from when the pressing detection unit detects the start of pressing. The touch panel device according to claim 2,
Peak detection means for detecting a peak of pressure on the operation surface based on a detection result of the pressure sensor;
Further comprising
The position detecting means detects the pressed position regardless of the lapse of the first time when the peak detecting means detects the peak of the pressure before the lapse of the first time. . The touch panel device according to claim 2,
Peak detection means for detecting a peak of pressure on the operation surface based on a detection result of the pressure sensor;
Further comprising
The pressing force detecting means detects the pressing force regardless of the lapse of the second time when the peak detecting means detects the pressing peak before the lapse of the second time. apparatus. A detection method for detecting a contact position and a pressing force based on detection results of a plurality of pressure sensors arranged at different positions and detecting pressure on an operation surface of the touch panel device,
(A) detecting a pressure on the operation surface;
(B) based on the detection result in the step (a), detecting a pressed position with respect to the operation surface;
(C) detecting a pressing force against the operation surface based on the detection result in the step (a);
With
The detection method, wherein the step (b) is performed before the step (c). A program that can be executed by a computer included in a touch panel device that is arranged at different positions and includes a plurality of pressure sensors that detect pressure on the operation surface,
Execution of the program by the computer causes the computer to
(A) detecting a pressure on the operation surface;
(B) based on the detection result in the step (a), detecting a pressed position with respect to the operation surface;
(C) detecting a pressing force against the operation surface based on the detection result in the step (a);
And execute
A program for executing the step (b) before the step (c).

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