Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9996181-B2
Application number	US-201213422451-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2012
Priority date	Mar 23, 2011
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a sensor electrode, a detection unit, and a determination unit. The sensor electrode has a capacitance changed in accordance with an operation to an operation surface. The detection unit is configured to detect, based on a change of the capacitance, a displacement of an operation point of the operation surface. The determination unit is configured to determine a press to the operation surface based on a displacement of a capacitance value of the sensor electrode and the displacement of the operation point.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:
a sensor electrode that has a capacitance changed in accordance with an operation by an operation object made upon or in proximity to an operation surface;
a detection unit configured to detect, based on the change of the capacitance, a displacement of a coordinate value of an operation point of the operation surface, wherein the operation point corresponds to a point at which the operation object comes into contact with or comes within a proximity range to the operation surface; and
a determination unit configured to determine a press to the operation surface based on the change over a time period of the capacitance value of the sensor electrode at the operation point and the displacement of the coordinate value of the operation point,
wherein the detection unit and the determination unit are each implemented via at least one processor.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the detection unit calculates the coordinate value of the operation point, and
the determination unit determines the press based on a correlation between the change of the capacitance value and the displacement of the coordinate value.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the determination unit determines the press based on an inclination of a regression line of the capacitance value and the coordinate value.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the determination unit determines the press based on a correlation coefficient between the capacitance value and the coordinate value.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the detection unit calculates the coordinate value of each of a plurality of operation points, and
the determination unit determines the press at each of the plurality of operation points.

6. An information processing method, comprising:
detecting, by a detection unit, a displacement of a coordinate value of an operation point of an operation surface based on a capacitance of a sensor electrode that is changed in accordance with an operation by an operation object made upon or in proximity to the operation surface, wherein the operation point corresponds to a point at which the operation object comes into contact with or comes within a proximity range to the operation surface; and
determining, by a determination unit, a press to the operation surface based on the change over a time period of the capacitance value of the sensor electrode at the operation point and the displacement of the coordinate value of the operation point,
wherein the detection unit and the determination unit are each implemented via at least one processor.

7. The information processing method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
calculating the coordinate value of the operation point, and
determining the press based on a correlation between the change of the capacitance value and the displacement of the coordinate value.

8. The information processing method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
determining the press based on an inclination of a regression line of the capacitance value and the coordinate value.

9. The information processing method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
determining the press based on a correlation coefficient between the capacitance value and the coordinate value.

10. The information processing method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
calculating the coordinate value of each of a plurality of operation points, and
determining the press at each of the plurality of operation points.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute a method, the method comprising:
detecting a displacement of a coordinate value of an operation point of an operation surface based on a capacitance of a sensor electrode that is changed in accordance with an operation by an operation object made upon or in proximity to the operation surface, wherein the operation point corresponds to a point at which the operation object comes into contact with or comes within a proximity range to the operation surface; and
determining a press to the operation surface based on the change over a time period of the capacitance value of the sensor electrode at the operation point and the displacement of the coordinate value of the operation point.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
calculating the coordinate value of the operation point, and
determining the press based on a correlation between the change of the capacitance value and the displacement of the coordinate value.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining the press based on an inclination of a regression line of the capacitance value and the coordinate value.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining the press based on a correlation coefficient between the capacitance value and the coordinate value.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises:
calculating the coordinate value of each of a plurality of operation points, and
determining the press at each of the plurality of operation points.

Assignees

• Mizunuma Hiroyuki
• Yamamoto Kazuyuki
• Yamano Ikuo
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Mizunuma Hiroyuki
• Yamamoto Kazuyuki
• Yamano Ikuo

Classifications

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F1/1626 Primary

  with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs] · CPC title

• G06F3/0416 Primary

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F3/0446

  using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes · CPC title

• G06F3/0445

  using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer · CPC title