JP6054342B2 - Input device, input support method, and input support program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device for inputting information on a touch screen, an input support method, and an input support program.

  Those who are visually impaired cannot fully enjoy the benefits of a high-performance mobile terminal having a touch screen like a smartphone. This is because the operability of basic command operations such as selecting menus and inputting characters is not sufficient for visually impaired persons. For the purpose of improving the operability, an operation method called “Drag & Flick” has been proposed as an operation method using finger movements that are easily memorized by the body (for example, Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1). ).

Japanese Patent No. 5427940

Ryosuke Aoki and 6 others "Drag & Flick: Character input method for visually impaired people using touch screen" IPSJ Interaction 2013 pp.72-79

  However, the operation method described in Non-Patent Document 1 is not sufficient. For example, it is difficult for a visually impaired person to correct an input character correctly even if he / she notices an input method error during the operation. For example, if you try to input an alphabetic character but forget to change the character type and perform a character input operation, delete the erroneously input character, change the character type, and change it again. You need to enter characters. These operations are extremely difficult for the visually impaired and increase the operation burden.

  In such editing, first, a character deletion operation is performed. In the editing area storing the character being edited, characters are deleted in order from the newly input character. The visually impaired cannot see the edited result, so it is not possible to know how many characters have been deleted. May begin to input. In this case, the wrong character remains, and as a result, it is forced to start over.

  Further, in a high-function mobile terminal, for example, when an area with a touch screen is touched with a finger and then the finger is moved, processing corresponding to the movement mode is executed. As a method of stopping the process when it is noticed that the process is unnecessary, for example, a method of touching a “return button” provided on the touch screen can be considered. However, if the user is visually impaired, it is very difficult to find and touch the return button, and it is difficult to stop the process.

The present invention has been made in view of this problem, and provides an input device and an input support method capable of preventing inconvenience caused by deleting characters one by one in an editing area for storing characters input using a touch screen. The purpose is to provide.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an input device and an input support method capable of stopping processing according to the moving direction of a finger touching a touch screen.

The input device of the present invention is
A touch screen for entering information,
An editing area where the character being edited is stored;
A command detection unit for detecting a command based on a movement of an object touching a predetermined area on the touch screen;
Comprising
When the command detected by detecting that the user's fingertip has moved in the first direction by the command detection unit is all deletion, if there are unconfirmed characters in the editing area, all unconfirmed characters If there is no unconfirmed character, delete all confirmed characters in the editing area,
When the instruction detected by detecting that the user's fingertip has moved in a direction different from the first direction is deleted by the instruction detection unit, the last character of the input character string is Delete one character.

Moreover, the input support method of the input device of the present invention includes:
An input support method for an input device comprising a touch screen for inputting information and an editing area for storing a character string being edited,
The command detection unit of the input device detects a command due to the movement of an object touching a preset area on the touch screen,
If the command detected by the command detection unit of the input device detects that the user's fingertip has moved in the first direction is a complete deletion, and there is an unconfirmed character in the editing area Delete all unconfirmed characters, if there are no unconfirmed characters, delete all confirmed characters in the editing area,
When the command detected by the command detection unit of the input device detects that the user's fingertip has moved in a direction different from the first direction is partially deleted, Delete the last character.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the inconvenience by deleting the character one by one in the edit area which stores the character input using a touch screen can be prevented.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to stop the processing according to the moving direction of the finger touching the touch screen.

The figure which shows the function structural example of the input device 1 of embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the operation | movement flow of the input device 1. It is a figure which shows the example of the condition which is operating the input device 1, (a) is a figure which shows typically a mode that the input device 1 is hold | maintained in the vertical direction, and (b) is hold | maintained in the horizontal direction. The figure which shows the example of the command identification area | region 4. The figure which shows the example of the moving direction of the finger | toe in the command identification area. The figure which shows the operation | movement flow of all the deletion parts 24 of the input device 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of a display when the cancellation part 27 of the input device 1 operate | moved. The figure which shows the example of a display when the event detection part 28 detects an event. The figure which shows the other example of a command identification area | region.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are given to the same components in a plurality of drawings, and the description will not be repeated.

  FIG. 1 shows a functional configuration example of the input device 1 of the present embodiment. The input device 1 is used for information input such as a smartphone having a touch screen, for example.

  The gist of the present embodiment is a functional configuration for deleting input characters. For inputting characters, for example, a method described in Patent Document 1 or the like, or a conventional method such as voice input can be used. In the present embodiment, only the main part for deleting characters is shown, and the functional configuration of the part for inputting characters is omitted.

  The input device 1 includes a touch screen 10, an editing area 5, and a control unit 20. The control unit 20 includes a command detection unit 21, a command identification area creation unit 22, a direction detection unit 23, a full deletion unit 24, a partial deletion unit 25, an operation cancellation (Undo) unit 26, A cancel unit 27 and an event detection unit 28 are provided. The input device 1 is realized when a predetermined program is read into a computer configured with, for example, a ROM, a RAM, and a CPU, and the CPU executes the program.

  FIG. 2 shows an operation flow of the input device 1. The operation of the input device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The command detection unit 21 detects that a finger has touched a preset area on the touch screen 10 (step S1). FIG. 3 illustrates an area 2 for inputting a command. Note that “touched” may be referred to as “touched” hereinafter.

  FIG. 3A schematically shows a situation in which a smartphone (hereinafter referred to as the input device 1) on which the input device 1 of the present embodiment is mounted is vertically gripped with the user's left hand and an instruction input is started with the index finger of the right hand. Show. A range indicated by a rectangle on the touch screen 10 on the index finger to little finger side of the left hand holding the input device 1 is, for example, a region 2. The editing area 5 is an area in which “Today's schedule is”, for example, is displayed on the touch screen 10.

  A range indicated by a rectangle on the left thumb side of the touch screen 10 is an area used for inputting information other than other characters. The function selection area 3 is an area to which functions such as reading aloud and changing a character type are assigned. Note that the function selection area 3 and the area 2 may be interchanged. Further, when the user holds the input device 1 in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 3B, for example, the right-hand side end of the touch screen 10 may be set as the region 2. By making it possible to grasp the region 2 for inputting the deletion command from the relationship between the hand holding the input device 1 and the fingertip to be operated in this way, the visually impaired can easily input the character input and the deletion command. Can be carved. That is, the region 2 can be easily identified from the relationship between the left and right fingers.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the fingertip of the ring finger of the left hand corresponds to the region 2. Thus, by making the left and right fingers correspond to each other, even if the person is visually impaired, the area 2 can be easily touched, and it is possible to easily input a command other than character input.

  The command identification area creation unit 22 detects a command from the finger movement direction when the finger is further moved inward of the touch screen 10 after detecting that the fingertip touches the area 2. 4 is created on the touch screen 10 (step S2). FIG. 4 illustrates the instruction identification area 4. The command identification area 4 has, for example, a circular shape centered on the point A where the user's finger touches the touch screen 10. The command identification area 4 may have any shape as long as it can identify the finger moving method. For example, a cross shape, a star shape, or a hexagonal shape may be used.

  The instruction identification area 4 is not newly created every time the fingertip touches the area 2 but is prepared in advance corresponding to the area 2. Therefore, if the area 2 is fixed on the touch screen 10, the command identification area creating unit 22 may be omitted. That is, if the point A is fixed, the moving direction of the finger with respect to the point A is naturally determined.

  However, if the position of the point A changes when the direction in which the user holds the input device 1 is changed as described above, the command identification area creating unit 22 is necessary. When the user holds the input device 1 in the vertical direction, an area 2 (point A) is provided on the touch screen 10 on the right side in the longitudinal direction, for example, and an instruction identification area 4 is created for the area 2. When the user holds the input device 1 in the horizontal direction, an area 2 (point A) is provided on the right side of the short side of the touch screen 10, for example, and an instruction identification area 4 is created for the area 2.

  When the position of point A changes in this way, the coordinate system representing the movement of the finger on the touch screen 10 changes even if the direction of movement of the finger relative to point A is the same. Therefore, it is necessary to create an instruction identification area. Note that the command identification area 4 may not be displayed on the touch screen 10. This is because the display is meaningless for the visually impaired.

  The direction detection unit 23 detects the movement direction of the finger after detecting that the finger has touched a preset area on the touch screen 10 (step S3). FIG. 5 shows an example of the finger moving direction in the command identification area 4. The circular command identification area 4 centered on point A has a range of ± 45 degrees centered on the 3 o'clock direction as viewed from point A, for example, P0, and P1, P2, P3 from P0 counterclockwise. Are divided into four areas. P1 is a range of ± 45 degrees around the 12 o'clock direction as viewed from the point A. P2 is a range of ± 45 degrees around the 9 o'clock direction as viewed from the point A. P3 is a range of ± 45 degrees around the 6 o'clock direction as viewed from the point A.

  The direction detection unit 23 detects the movement direction HP1 when the user's fingertip moves from the point A to the range P1. The moving direction HP1 is referred to as a first direction, for example. Similarly, when the user's fingertip moves from the point A within the range of P3, the second direction (HP2), when moved within the range of P0, the third direction (HP3), and when moved within the range of P2, the fourth direction The direction (HP4) is detected.

  The instruction detection unit 21 may include the functional configuration of the direction detection unit 23. In this case, the command detection unit 21 detects a command due to the movement of a finger touching the preset area 2 on the touch screen 10.

  The all deletion unit 24 deletes all characters in the editing area 5 when the movement direction detected by the direction detection unit 23 matches a predetermined direction, for example, in the first direction (step S4) (step S4). S5, delete all of FIG. 4). FIG. 6 shows an operation flow of the all deletion process (step S5) performed by the all deletion unit 24.

  If there is an undetermined part that has not been confirmed in the input character string (YES in step S50), the all deletion unit 24 deletes the character string of the undetermined part (step S51). An undetermined part is a part of the inputted character string which is not subjected to Kanji conversion, for example. If there is no undetermined portion in the input character string (NO in step S50), the entire input character string is deleted (step S52).

  Further, when the instruction detection unit 21 includes the functional configuration of the direction detection unit 23, the all deletion unit 24 has an undetermined character in the editing area 5 when the instruction detected by the instruction detection unit 21 is all deletion. If there is, the unconfirmed character is deleted. If there is no unconfirmed character, all characters in the editing area 5 are deleted.

  The all deletion unit 24 deletes all the characters stored in the editing area 5 based on a simple operation by moving the user's fingertip from the point A in the first direction. If there is an undetermined part, the undetermined part is deleted. Therefore, a visually impaired person can easily delete an erroneously input character string, and can reduce the operation burden on the user.

  When the movement direction detected by the direction detection unit 23 coincides with, for example, the fourth direction (step S6), the partial deletion unit 25 deletes the last character of the input character string (step S7, FIG. Delete 4). The input character string can be deleted one character at a time by repeating the operation from the touch to the fourth direction in which the user moves the fingertip touching the area 2 in the fourth direction.

  The operation canceling unit 26 returns the editing area 5 to the state before the previous operation is performed on the characters in the editing area 5 when the moving direction detected by the direction detecting unit 23 matches the predetermined direction. For example, when the movement direction matches the second direction (step S8, Undo in FIG. 4), the immediately preceding operation on the characters in the editing area 5 is invalidated (step S9). For example, it is assumed that the character string up to “Today's schedule is” has been confirmed, and then the character string “gogo (afternoon ...)” is input. “Gogoka” is undecided. At this time, if the above-described all-delete operation is performed, the three characters “gogo” are deleted.

  When the operation (deletion of all) is incorrect and it is desired to recover “garbage”, the user can recover the character string by a simple operation of moving the finger from the point A in the second direction. In this way, the operation canceling unit 26 can reduce the operation burden when the visually handicapped person makes an erroneous input.

  When the moving direction detected by the direction detecting unit 23 coincides with a predetermined direction, the canceling unit 27 performs processing according to the moving direction of the finger that is started after detecting that the finger has touched the region 2. Stop (step S10).

  When the movement direction of the finger after moving the point A after the finger touches the preset area 2 matches the third direction, for example, before the user's finger touches the area 2 (Step S11, cancel of FIG. 4). In short, cancel all deletion, deletion, and operation cancellation (Undo). The movement of the finger in this case means that the finger has moved in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the finger immediately after detecting that the finger has touched the preset area 2 on the touch screen 10. The movement of returning the moved finger to the original is easy to understand because it reminds the user to cancel the process.

  In addition, when the finger is moved in the third direction with reference to the point A immediately after touching the area 2, the processing corresponding to the moving direction of the user's finger may be stopped. The state of the input device 1 can be returned to the state before the user's finger touches the region 2 by a simple operation of moving the fingertip from the point A in the third direction.

  FIG. 7 shows a display example of the input device 1 when the cancel unit 27 operates. When the user inputs a character string up to “Today's schedule is”, when part or all of the input character string is deleted, the user touches the area 2 of the touch screen 10 with the fingertip. Then, the command identification area 4 is created on the touch screen 10. When the user interrupts the modification of the character string at the time when the command identification area 4 is created and wants to continue inputting the character string, the command can be simply operated by moving the fingertip in the third direction. The state where the identification area 4 has been created can be canceled (step S11).

  Further, the cancel unit 27 may be operated by another operation input. For example, the cancel unit 27 may be operated when it is detected that two or more fingers have touched the touch screen 10. In that case, the input device 1 further includes an event detection unit 28 that detects that, for example, two or more fingers have touched the touch screen 10.

  FIG. 8 shows a display example when the event detection unit 28 detects an event. The event detection unit 28 detects an event in which two or more fingers touch the touch screen 10 (step S12). When the event detection unit 28 detects an event, the cancel unit 27 stops the process corresponding to the movement direction of all deletion, partial deletion, operation cancellation, and cancellation (step S11). The cancel unit 27 is started after it is detected that the finger has touched the region 2 by a simple operation of moving the fingertip in the third direction or touching the touch screen 10 with a plurality of fingers. Processing according to a command corresponding to the moving direction of the finger can be stopped. Here, the command is to cause each functional component to execute processes such as all deletion, partial deletion, operation cancellation (Undo), and cancellation.

  The processes in steps S1 to S12 are repeated until the operation of the input device 1 is completed (NO in step S13). Therefore, the state of the input device 1 is the same as the state of the input device 1 when the event detection unit 28 detects a plurality of finger touches, or from the point A to the third direction. When the movement of the finger is detected, the process can be stopped.

  As described above, according to the input device 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent inconvenience caused by deleting characters one by one in the editing area 5 that stores characters input using the touch screen 10.

  Moreover, according to the input device 1 of this embodiment, the process according to the moving direction of the finger touching the touch screen 10 can be stopped by a simple operation.

  The all deletion unit 24 of the input device 1 deletes all of the character strings stored in the editing area 5 based on a simple operation by simply moving the user's fingertip from the point A in the first direction.

  In addition, when the movement direction detected by the direction detection unit 23 is the second direction (step S8), the operation canceling unit 26 of the input device 1 moves the editing area 5 immediately before a character in the editing area 5 is operated. Return to the state before it was done.

  In addition, the cancel unit 27 starts the finger that is started after detecting that the finger touches the preset region 2 on the touch screen 10 when the movement direction detected by the direction detection unit 23 is the third direction. Processing according to the moving direction can be stopped.

  In addition, when a plurality of fingers are touched on the touch screen 10, processing corresponding to the direction of finger movement that is started after detecting that the finger has touched the preset area 2 on the touch screen 10 is stopped. be able to.

  The editing operation on the editing area 5 by the all deleting unit 24 and the operation canceling unit 26 can be easily performed even by a visually impaired person. Therefore, there is an effect of reducing the operation burden on the user after noticing the error. Further, when the cancel unit 27 notices that the process is unnecessary, the cancel unit 27 can cancel the process with a simple operation.

  In addition, although said command identification area | region 4 demonstrated by the example which identifies the command by dividing the said circle into 4 as a circle shape, the number of divisions is not restricted to 4 divisions. For example, it may be two divisions with a small division number and eight divisions with a larger division number. Further, as described above, the shape of the instruction identification area 4 is not limited to the circular shape.

  The correspondence between the finger moving direction and the command is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the first movement direction may correspond to the operation cancellation unit 26. Moreover, although the instruction | command which can be selected in said instruction | indication identification area 4 was demonstrated in the example of all deletion, deletion, operation cancellation (Undo), and cancellation, it is not limited to this example. For example, it may be associated with a command such as sound volume adjustment or vibrator strength adjustment. In the case of an input device associated with volume adjustment or the like, the editing area 5 and all deletion unit 24 described in the present embodiment may be omitted.

  In addition, the cancel unit 27 of the present embodiment is an example in which one finger is moved in the third direction, or when the touch of the second finger is detected, the processing corresponding to the finger moving direction is stopped. Although described, the processing of the cancel unit is not limited to this example. For example, the processing may be stopped when a new finger touches during operation with a plurality of fingers. The operation performed with a plurality of fingers is, for example, an operation for enlarging or reducing the display on the touch screen 10. That is, when the cancel unit performs an operation instruction by bringing an object into contact with the touch screen 10, the cancellation unit immediately before the number of fingers increases with the increase in the number of fingers touching the touch screen 10. You may comprise so that a process may be stopped.

  Further, as in the example of the instruction identification area shown in FIG. 9, a gap may be provided between the areas for identifying the instructions. The area indicated by the hatched portion in FIG. 9 is a gap, and an invalid operation is performed when the fingertip moves to this gap. By doing so, it is possible to prevent malfunctions caused by subtle differences in the direction of fingertip movement.

  Further, although an example in which the operation on the touch screen 10 is performed with a finger has been described, the input device 1 may be operated by bringing an object (tool) such as a stylus pen into contact with the finger instead of the operation with the finger. Good.

  The input support program is distributed by selling, transferring, or lending a portable recording medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM in which the program is recorded. Further, the program may be distributed by storing the program in a recording device of a server computer and transferring the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

1: Input device 2: Area 3: Function selection area 4: Command identification area 10: Touch screen 20: Control unit 21: Command detection unit 22: Command identification area creation unit 23: Direction detection unit 24: All deletion unit 25: One Part deletion unit 26: operation cancellation unit 27: cancellation unit 28: event detection unit

Claims (3)

A touch screen for entering information,
An editing area where the character being edited is stored;
A command detection unit for detecting a command based on a movement of an object touching a predetermined area on the touch screen;
Comprising
When the command detected by detecting that the user's fingertip has moved in the first direction by the command detection unit is all deletion, if there are unconfirmed characters in the editing area, all unconfirmed characters If there is no unconfirmed character, delete all confirmed characters in the editing area,
When the instruction detected by detecting that the user's fingertip has moved in a direction different from the first direction is deleted by the instruction detection unit, the last character of the input character string is An input device for deleting one character. An input support method for an input device comprising a touch screen for inputting information and an editing area for storing a character string being edited,
The command detection unit of the input device detects a command due to the movement of an object touching a preset area on the touch screen,
If the command detected by the command detection unit of the input device detects that the user's fingertip has moved in the first direction is a complete deletion, and there is an unconfirmed character in the editing area Delete all unconfirmed characters, if there are no unconfirmed characters, delete all confirmed characters in the editing area,
When the command detected by the command detection unit of the input device detects that the user's fingertip has moved in a direction different from the first direction is partially deleted, An input method, wherein one last character is deleted . An input support program for causing a computer to function as the input device according to claim 1.

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