Display switching system and panel driver

Abstract

In a case where a multi-display function is used, a display mapped to a tablet device can be switched according to an intuitive gesture operation. Position instruction data is received from the tablet device (1). When the button operation determination unit (304) determines that the operation button (103) has been pressed on the basis of the state information of the position instruction data, the gesture determination unit (307) determines the instruction content of the gesture operation on the basis of the coordinate data of the position instruction data from the tablet device (1). A map switching processing unit (308) refers to the screen memory area information of the screen memory area information storage unit (302), and switches, in accordance with the instruction content, identification information for identifying the screen memory area information of the memory area to which the tablet device (1) is mapped.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and a program for enabling two or more displays connected to an information processing device such as a personal computer to be utilized via a tablet device connected to the information processing device. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, so-called multi-displays have been used in conferences, classrooms, and the like, where multiple displays are arranged vertically and horizontally and each displays information. Regarding multi-displays, inventions have been proposed for improving convenience. For example, Patent Document 1, described below, discloses an invention of a multi-display control method, a control program, and a control device that reduce the spatial movement of a speaker and enable easy and intuitive switching of screen displays to other display devices and editing of displayed data. The invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises a multi-display system consisting of a main display device having a touch panel and a display unit, one or more sub-display devices having a display unit, and a control device that controls them.

[0003] When the control device receives a gesture operation, such as a gesture operation, via the touch panel of the main display device, the control device captures the display content displayed on the display portion of the main display device based on the operation and displays it on the display portion of the secondary display device. Furthermore, based on the operation performed via the touch panel of the main display device, the control device can also add text or draw on the display content displayed on the display portion of the main display device. Furthermore, the control device can also clear the display content on the display portion of the main display device, input other information via the touch panel, and display it on the display portion of the main display device. However, since the display content displayed on the display portion of the secondary display device is a captured still image, it cannot be edited.

[0004] [Prior art literature]

[0005] [Patent Document]

[0006] [Patent Document 1]

[0007] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-198734. Summary of the Invention

[0008] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0009] In recent years, multi-display functionality has also been adopted in personal computers used for work and other purposes. This multi-display functionality allows multiple monitors to be connected to a personal computer to expand the display area. For example, consider a scenario where three monitors arranged closely together in a horizontal row on a desk are connected to a personal computer and the multi-display functionality is used. In this case, a large memory area corresponding to the display area (screen area) of the three monitors is reserved in the personal computer, and the memory area is mapped (associated) to each monitor.

[0010] Therefore, visually, you can launch a browser for searching on the left monitor, launch a drawing application for drawing input on the center monitor, and launch a photo application for displaying photos on the right monitor. In other words, different processes can be executed simultaneously and in parallel on each of the three monitors. Alternatively, this multi-display function can be viewed as a single large monitor composed of the three monitors, with, for example, the image drawn on the center monitor being displayed on the display screen of the single large monitor.

[0011] Typically, a so-called mouse is connected to a personal computer as a pointing device. This mouse can indicate positions over a wide range (theoretically, an infinite range) depending on the amount of movement on the table. Therefore, regardless of the current display of interest, the display of interest can be changed by positioning the cursor on the target display (the coordinate position in the corresponding memory area) using the mouse. This allows users to simply move the cursor to the left display while maintaining the drawing process while performing a browser search. Furthermore, by enlarging the image drawn on the center display, it can be displayed on a single large display consisting of the three displays.

[0012] However, when a tablet device is used as an input device, it is more difficult to change the focused display than when a mouse is used. Generally, since the operation surface of the tablet device corresponds to the display screen of the display, it is not possible to specify a position on the display screen of a display other than the focused display by operating the operation surface of the tablet device. Therefore, it is also considered to make the operation surface of the tablet device correspond to a large display composed of the display screens of multiple connected displays. In this case, since the operation surface of the tablet device is mapped to a large memory area corresponding to the display screen of the large display, any position on the large display screen composed of multiple displays can be indicated.

[0013] However, in this case, the operating area corresponding to each display on the tablet device's operating surface becomes narrower, making it difficult to input instructions corresponding to each display, which is not ideal. Therefore, it is considered to provide a switch button for the target display on the tablet device, and switch the target display each time the switch button is pressed. However, in this case, if there are three or more displays connected to the personal computer, it may not be possible to select the target display with a single press, and operation of the switch button may become complicated.

[0014] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to enable switching of displays mapped by a tablet device by intuitive operations such as gesture operations when a multi-display function is utilized using a tablet device.

[0015] [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a display switching system is provided for utilizing a plurality of displays connected to an information processing device via an input device, characterized in that:

[0017] The input device is a device for indicating a position on the display,

[0018] The information processing device comprises:

[0019] establishing a correspondence unit for establishing a correspondence between the input area of the input device and a specified display area on the display;

[0020] a determination unit for determining whether the input from the input device is a position instruction input or a change instruction input; and

[0021] a changing unit that changes the correspondence between the input device and the predetermined display by inputting the change instruction,

[0022] When the determination unit determines that a change instruction input has been made from the input device, the correspondence between the input device and the display is changed according to the change instruction input. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 This is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of an information processing system according to an embodiment using a multi-display function.

[0024] Figure 2 A diagram for explaining an example of a gesture operation when switching a focused display.

[0025] Figure 3 A diagram for explaining an example of a gesture operation when switching a focused display.

[0026] Figure 4A diagram for explaining an example of a gesture operation when switching a focused display.

[0027] Figure 5 A diagram for explaining an example of a gesture operation when switching a focused display.

[0028] Figure 6 A diagram for explaining an example of gesture operation when switching the operation mode.

[0029] Figure 7 This is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a tablet device according to an embodiment.

[0030] Figure 8 This is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of an information processing device according to an embodiment.

[0031] Figure 9 This is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a tablet drive device according to an embodiment.

[0032] Figure 10 This figure is used to explain how a display is connected to an information processing device, and the screen memory area reserved for the connected display and its management.

[0033] Figure 11 This diagram explains how a display and an information processing device are connected, and the screen memory area reserved for the connected display and its management.

[0034] Figure 12 This diagram explains how a display and an information processing device are connected, and the screen memory area reserved for the connected display and its management.

[0035] Figure 13 This diagram explains how a display and an information processing device are connected, and the screen memory area reserved for the connected display and its management.

[0036] Figure 14 This diagram explains how a display and an information processing device are connected, and the screen memory area reserved for the connected display and its management.

[0037] Figure 15 This is a flowchart for explaining the processing executed by the tablet drive device according to the embodiment.

[0038] Figure 16 Then Figure 15 Flowchart of the process.

[0039] Figure 17 This is a diagram for explaining a case where a display (focus display) mapped to a tablet having a display function is switched.

[0040] Figure 18 This is a diagram for explaining a case where a display (focus display) mapped to a tablet having a display function is switched. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] An embodiment of the system and program of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The system and program described below can be used with various tablet devices. A tablet device is a plate-shaped electronic device, as described in detail later. It is configured to include a sheet-shaped position detection sensor (sensor unit) having a sensor surface with a predetermined area. The top surface of the position detection sensor serves as an operating surface for receiving user input. By performing pointing operations (position pointing operations) on this operating surface using an electronic pen or the like, a tablet device can be used to input text, draw pictures, illustrations, etc., and also to input icons and the like.

[0042] Tablet devices include those called liquid crystal tablets and those called flat panels (plate-shaped tablets). Liquid crystal tablets are input / output devices that include a display element (display device) such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a position detection sensor, enabling position indication operations (position indication input) such as writing and drawing, as well as displaying input information. Plate-shaped tablets are input devices such as personal computers that include position detection sensors but lack a display element such as an LCD, enabling position indication operations (position indication input) such as writing and drawing. The device and program of the present invention can be used with both liquid crystal tablets and plate-shaped tablets. For simplicity, the following description uses a plate-shaped tablet as an example.

[0043] [Configuration Example of Information Processing System (Display Switching System)]

[0044] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of an information processing system using a multi-display function. Figure 1 As shown, the information processing system of this embodiment includes a tablet device 1 as an input device and is capable of pointing operations using an electronic pen 2. As described above, the tablet device 1 is a so-called flat tablet and is connected to an information processing device 4 via a tablet driver 3.

[0045] The tablet driver 3 is a device driver for enabling the tablet device 1 to function as an input device for the information processing device 4. The tablet driver 3 implements a function that processes output data from the tablet device 1 on the information processing device 4 and then transmits the data to the information processing device 4. The tablet driver 3 can be implemented as a device (connection device) located between the tablet device 1 and the information processing device 4, or as software executed by the information processing device 4 or the tablet device 1. For simplicity of description, this embodiment assumes that the tablet driver 3 is implemented as software executed by the information processing device 4.

[0046] The information processing device 4 is a device that performs various processes based on instruction information from the tablet device 1. In this embodiment, it is a PC (Personal Computer). The information processing device 4 has a multi-display function that can connect multiple displays for the purpose of expanding the display area. Figure 1 , a case where three monitors 5 ( 1 ), 5 ( 2 ), and 5 ( 3 ) are connected to the information processing device 4 is shown. In addition, the information processing device 4 is also connected to the Internet.

[0047] Thus, it is possible to issue instructions from the tablet device 1 to the information processing device 4 via the tablet driver 3, and to execute different processes simultaneously and in parallel in the information processing device 4 through the displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3). For example, it is possible to start a browser through the display 5 (1) to search the Internet, start a drawing application through the display 5 (2) to draw a picture, and start a photo application through the display 5 (3) to display a reference photo. In addition, it is also possible to combine the three display screens of the displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) to form a large display screen, and to enlarge and display the drawn image on the screen.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, the tablet device 1 includes an operating surface 101S for accepting pointing operations from the electronic pen 2. Typically, pointing operations on the operating surface 101S involve writing text or drawing pictures and illustrations, but sometimes also involve pointing to icons. Furthermore, the tablet device 1 supports gesture operations (gesture input) using the electronic pen 2. Therefore, the tablet device 1 includes an operation button 103 for distinguishing gesture operations performed on the operating surface 101S with the electronic pen 2 from normal position pointing operations (writing input, drawing input, etc.).

[0049] "Gesture" is a term that originally refers to body movements or finger movements, but in this specification, gesture operations refer to operations performed by using electronic pen 2 to perform a predetermined action on operating surface 101S of tablet device 1. In the information processing system of this embodiment, gesture operations are performed when instructing information processing device 4 to switch the focus display (switch the display mapped to tablet device 1) or switch the operation mode.

[0050] In addition, the focus display simply means that the display that is mapped for the tablet device 1 corresponds to the memory area allocated for display processing on the display. In addition, in this embodiment, there are individual mapping modes and overall mapping modes in the action mode. The individual mapping mode is an action state in which processing can be performed by each connected display, in other words, it is an action state in which processing is performed using the memory area allocated to each display. In addition, the overall mapping mode is an action state in which processing can be performed by viewing the display screens of all connected displays as forming a large display screen. In other words, it is an action state in which processing is performed using a large memory area allocated to one large display screen.

[0051] When an operation input is performed via the operation surface 101S or when the operation button 103 is pressed, the tablet device 1 sequentially outputs position indication data at predetermined timings, as described in detail later. This allows the tablet driver 3 to determine what type of operation has been performed on the tablet device 1. Specifically, it can determine (distinguish) whether the operation is a handwriting input or drawing input without pressing the operation button 103, a position indication input for selecting an icon, a gesture operation with pressing the operation button 103, or simply a pressing of the operation button 103.

[0052] In addition, if Figure 1 As shown by the dotted line, the information processing system can also be configured as a single device such as a tablet PC that has the functions of the tablet device 1, tablet driver 3, and information processing device 4. Figure 1 In the figure, the information processing device 4 is connected to three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3), but the present invention is not limited thereto. The information processing device 4 can also be connected to more displays and use the multi-display function. In other words, the information processing device 4 can be connected to an appropriate number of displays, two or more, and use the multi-display function.

[0053] [Gesture operations and instructions]

[0054] Figures 2 to 5This figure illustrates an example of a gesture operation for switching the display mapped to tablet device 1 (the display of interest). In the information processing system of this embodiment, as described above, multiple displays are connected to information processing device 4, enabling multi-display functionality. Therefore, gestures using electronic pen 2 on tablet device 1 allow intuitive switching of the display mapped to tablet device 1 (the display of interest) to the target display.

[0055] <Example of switching the mapped display with a single gesture>

[0056] First, if Figure 2 、 Figure 3 As shown in FIG, consider the case where three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are connected to the information processing device 4. Figure 2 As shown by filling in (A), the display 5 (2) is mapped to the tablet device 1 and becomes the focus display. In this case, it is assumed that the processing needs to be performed via the display 5 (1) on the left end. In this case, Figure 2 As shown by arrow a in (B), the operation button 103 of the tablet device 1 is pressed, and the electronic pen 2 is brought into contact with the operation surface 101S of the tablet device 1 and moved leftward as shown by arrow b while maintaining the contact.

[0057] Since the position indication operation is performed while the operation button 103 is pressed, the tablet driver 3 determines that the operation is a gesture operation instructing to switch the display of interest to the left display. Therefore, the display mapped (associated) to the tablet device 1 is switched from display 5 (2) to display 5 (1). Therefore, the information processing device 4 can display the processing results on display 5 (1). In other words, switching the display of interest is equivalent to switching the memory area mapped (allocated) to each display.

[0058] Likewise, currently, as in Figure 2 As shown by the filled mark in (A), the display 5 (2) is mapped to the tablet device 1 and becomes the focus display. In this case, it is assumed that the processing needs to be performed via the display 5 (3) at the right end. In this case, Figure 2 As shown in (C), first, as indicated by arrow a, the operation button 103 is pressed, and the electronic pen 2 is brought into contact with the operation surface 101S and moved rightward as indicated by arrow b while maintaining the contact.

[0059] Since the position indication operation is performed while the operation button 103 is pressed, the tablet driver 3 determines that the operation is a gesture operation for instructing to switch the focus display to the display on the right. Figure 2 As shown in (C), the tablet driver 3 switches the display of interest from the display 5 (2) indicated by the dotted line to the display 5 (3) indicated by the filled line, and maintains this state. In other words, the display mapped (associated) to the tablet device 1 switches from the display 5 (2) to the display 5 (3).

[0060] In this way, Figure 2 As shown in (C), the display of interest is switched to display 5 (3). In this case, the tablet driver 3 converts the coordinate data included in the position indication data corresponding to the position indication operation not accompanied by the pressing of the operation button 103 into coordinates in the memory area allocated to the display 5 (3) and provides it to the information processing device 4. In the information processing device 4, the position indication data from the tablet driver 3 can be used as it is without any change for processing. Therefore, the information processing device 4 can display the processing on the display 5 (3).

[0061] In addition, currently, as Figure 3 As shown by the filled mark in (A), the left-end display 5 (1) is mapped to the tablet device 1 and becomes the focus display. At this time, it is necessary to process through the right-end display 5 (3). In this case, two switching operations are considered. One is, as Figure 3 As shown in (B), first, as indicated by arrow a, the electronic pen 2 is brought into contact with the operating surface 101S while pressing the operating button 103. While maintaining contact, the electronic pen 2 is moved leftward as indicated by arrow b. Since this is a leftward position indication operation performed by the electronic pen 2 while the operating button 103 is pressed, the tablet driver 3 normally identifies this as a gesture indicating switching the display of interest to the left.

[0062] However, in this example, there is no display on the left side of display 5 (1). Therefore, the tablet driver 3 determines that the gesture operation is a gesture operation that instructs to switch the focus display to display 5 (3) on the right end. Figure 3 As shown in (B), the tablet driver 3 switches the display of interest from the display 5 (1) indicated by the dotted line to the display 5 (3) indicated by the filled line, and maintains this state. In other words, the display mapped (associated) to the tablet device 1 switches from the display 5 (1) to the display 5 (3).

[0063] Another is, Figure 3As shown in (C), the electronic pen 2 is first brought into contact with the operating surface 101S while pressing the operating button 103 as indicated by arrow a. While maintaining contact, the electronic pen 2 is then moved significantly to the right as indicated by arrow b. Because the electronic pen 2 indicates a position to the right while the operating button 103 is pressed, the tablet driver 3 typically interprets this as a gesture indicating a switch to the left display.

[0064] However, in this example, there are two displays, display 5 (2) and display 5 (3), on the right side of display 5 (1). Therefore, the tablet driver 3 determines whether the received gesture operation is a switching instruction to display 5 (2) or a switching instruction to display 5 (3) based on the movement distance of the electronic pen 2 on the operation surface 101 S. Specifically, if the movement distance of the electronic pen 2 on the operation surface 101 S in the gesture operation is less than half of the horizontal length of the operation surface 101 S, it is determined that it is a switching instruction to display 5 (2). In addition, if the movement distance of the electronic pen 2 on the operation surface 101 S in the gesture operation is more than half of the horizontal length on the operation surface 101 S, it is determined that it is a switching instruction to display 5 (3).

[0065] like Figure 3 As shown in (C), in this gesture operation, the moving distance of the electronic pen 2 on the operation surface 101 S is more than half of the horizontal length on the operation surface 101 S. Therefore, the tablet driver 3 determines that the gesture operation is a gesture operation that instructs to switch the focus display to the display 5 (3) at the right end. Therefore, the tablet driver 3 issues an instruction to the information processing device 4, such as Figure 3 As shown in (C), the focus display is switched from display 5 (1) indicated by a dotted line to display 5 (3) indicated by a filled line. That is, the display mapped to the tablet device 1 is switched from display 5 (1) to display 5 (3).

[0066] <Example of switching the mapped display by continuous gestures>

[0067] Then, if Figure 4 As shown, consider the case where six displays 5 (1) to 5 (6) are arranged in a matrix with two displays in the vertical direction and three displays in the horizontal direction using a so-called display arm, and are connected to an information processing device 4. Figure 4 In (A), when the display 5 (5) in the center of the lower section indicated by the dotted rectangle becomes the focus display, it is necessary to process the display 5 (1) on the left side of the upper section indicated by the filled mark. In this case, Figure 4As shown in (A), the following operation is performed: while pressing the operation button 103 as indicated by arrow a, the electronic pen 2 is brought into contact with the operation surface 101 S, and while maintaining contact, it is moved to the left as indicated by arrow b, and then moved upward as indicated by arrow c. As a result, the display mapped to the tablet device 1 is switched from display 5 (5) to display 5 (1).

[0068] Likewise, in Figure 4 In (B), when the display 5 (5) in the center of the lower section indicated by the dotted rectangle becomes the focus display, it is necessary to process the display 5 (3) on the right side of the upper section indicated by the filled mark. In this case, Figure 4 As shown in (B), first, the following operation is performed: while pressing the operation button 103 as shown by arrow a, the electronic pen 2 is brought into contact with the operation surface 101S, and while maintaining contact, it is moved rightward as shown by arrow b, and then moved upward as shown by arrow c.

[0069] That is, the electronic pen 2 is continuously moved from the right side to the upper side while the operation button 103 is pressed. This position indicating operation is a position indicating operation while the operation button 103 is pressed, so the tablet driver 3 determines that it is a gesture operation to instruct to switch the focus display to the display 5 (3) on the upper right side. Therefore, as Figure 4 As shown in (B), the tablet driver 3 switches the display of interest from the display 5 (5) indicated by the dotted line to the display 5 (3) indicated by the filled line, and maintains this state. As a result, the display mapped to the tablet device 1 switches from the display 5 (5) to the display 5 (3).

[0070] In addition, Figure 4 In the case of (A), the position indication operation of the operation surface 101S of the tablet device 1 using the electronic pen 2 can be performed by first moving it upward and then moving it to the left. By this operation, the focus display can be switched from the display 5 (5) to the display 5 (1). In addition, Figure 4 In the case of (B), the position indication operation on the operation surface 101S of the tablet device 1 using the electronic pen 2 may be performed by first moving it upward and then moving it rightward.

[0071] In addition, Figure 4 The example shown is also used with Figure 2 、 Figure 3 As in the case of the example described above, the focus display can be switched by a single gesture. Figure 4In the case of (A), the position pointing operation using the electronic pen 2 on the operation surface 101S of the tablet device 1 can also be moved diagonally to the upper left. This operation can also switch the focus display from display 5 (5) to display 5 (1).

[0072] That is, the display mapped to the tablet device 1 can be switched based on the display currently mapped to the tablet device 1 (the display of interest) according to the direction of movement of the electronic pen 2. Therefore, as described above, even when using six displays to utilize the multi-display function, intuitive gestures using the electronic pen 2 on the tablet device 1 can easily switch to the display of interest. In other words, intuitive gestures using the electronic pen 2 can switch the display mapped to the tablet device 1.

[0073] <Switch using gestures while checking the status of the operation>

[0074] When there are a plurality of displays that can be mapped to the tablet device 1 , the operator may want to perform an operation while confirming how the focused display is switched by the gesture operation performed by the operator. Figure 5 This example illustrates a situation where the tablet device 1 is operated to switch the display to be mapped (the display of interest) while confirming the display of interest selected by gesture operation. In this example, if the confirmation flag of the tablet driver 3 is set to "Active (1)", the following operation can be performed, which will be described in detail later.

[0075] like Figure 5 As shown, consider the case where three monitors 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are connected to the information processing device 4 and the multi-monitor function is used. In addition, in this example, the case where monitors 5 (1) and 5 (2) are arranged in the upper section and monitor 5 (3) is arranged in the lower section using a monitor arm is used. Figure 5 As shown in the dotted rectangle in (A), the lower display 5 (3) is the focus display mapped to the tablet device 1. Figure 5 (A) shows a case where a drawing application is started in the information processing device 4 and a state where drawing input is performed by the tablet device 1 is displayed on the display 5 ( 3 ) as the display of interest.

[0076] At this time, it is necessary to start other applications, such as a browser, through the display 5 (2) on the right side of the upper section to perform Internet searches. Figure 5 As shown in (A), since the display 5 (3) of the tablet device 1 is mapped and becomes the focus display, it is necessary to change the focus display. Therefore, as Figure 5As shown in FIG. 1B , the user (operator) of the tablet device 1 presses the operation button 103 of the tablet device 1 and maintains the pressed state. In this case, the tablet driver 3 is notified that the operation button 103 is pressed.

[0077] In this case, as described above, since the confirmation flag is set to "1 (active)", the flat panel driver 3 operates as follows. First, the flat panel driver 3 issues an instruction to form a display image for notifying the lower display 5 (3) that it is a display of interest and to provide it to the information processing device 4. The information processing device 4, in accordance with the instruction from the flat panel driver 3, Figure 5 As shown in (B), a display image that can be distinguished by filling the display of interest or the like is displayed on the display screen of the display 5 (3) in the lower row of the display of interest. This allows the user of the tablet device 1 to clearly recognize visually that the display (display of interest) mapped on the tablet device 1 is the display 5 (3) in the lower row.

[0078] Next, the user of the tablet device 1 Figure 5 As shown in (C), while the operation button 103 is pressed, the electronic pen 2 is brought into contact with the operation surface 101S of the tablet device 1 and is moved upward as indicated by arrow b while in contact. Information corresponding to this operation is notified from the tablet device 1 to the tablet driver 3. The tablet driver 3 issues an instruction to form a display image for notifying that the display 5 (1) on the left side of the upper row is selected as the display of interest, and provides the image to the information processing device 4 for display.

[0079] In the information processing device 4, as Figure 5 As shown in (C), a display image notifying that the display 5 (1) on the upper left side is selected as the focus display is displayed on the display screen of the current focus display 5 (3). Figure 5 In the display shown in (C), the display 5 ( 1 ) on the left side of the upper row is displayed, for example, by being filled, and is in a state where it is selected as the display of interest.

[0080] exist Figure 5 In the state shown in (C), the target display 5 (2) has not yet been selected as the focus display. Therefore, the user of the tablet device 1 presses the operation button 103, and then Figure 5The electronic pen 2 is moved upward as indicated by the dotted arrow b in (D), and the electronic pen 2 is moved rightward as indicated by the arrow c. Information corresponding to the operation is notified from the tablet device 1 to the tablet driver 3. The tablet driver 3 issues an instruction to form a display image for notifying that the display 5 (2) on the right side of the upper stage is selected as the focus display, and provides it to the information processing device 4 for display. The display 5 (2) on the right side of the upper stage is displayed, for example, by being filled, etc., and the display becomes a state of being selected as the focus display.

[0081] Even if the instruction input by the electronic pen 2 is finished, Figure 5 As shown in (E), if the pressing operation of the operation button 103 is continued, the display 5 (3) which is the display of interest at this stage will display that the display 5 (2) is selected as the next display of interest. Figure 5 The pressing operation of the operation button 103 ends in the state (E), and then Figure 5 As shown in (F), in the tablet driver 3, the focus display is switched from display 5 (3) to display 5 (2), and this state is maintained. In other words, the display mapped to the tablet device 1 can be changed from display 5 (3) to display 5 (2).

[0082] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, the focus display can be switched while the status of the change operation of the focus display is displayed on the display screen of the focus display. That is, the display mapped to the tablet device 1 can be switched while the status of the operation is confirmed. Figure 5 In the example of using three monitors 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) to use the multi-monitor function, the present invention is not limited to this. Figure 4 As described above, the present invention is applicable to a case where the multi-display function is used by using six displays, or a case where two or more displays are connected to the information processing device 4 to use the multi-display function.

[0083] <Example of Switching Operation Modes>

[0084] As described above, in the information processing system of the present embodiment, as action modes, there are an individual mapping mode and an overall mapping mode. As described above, the individual mapping mode is an action state in which processing can be performed through each connected display. In addition, the overall mapping mode is an action state in which processing can be performed through a large display screen that can be regarded as formed by the display screens of all connected displays. The two action modes are provided in this way because the area in which position indication can be performed through the operating surface of the tablet device 1 is limited. That is, for the operating surface 101S of the tablet device 1, it is necessary to determine whether to map the display screens of each display or to map to the display screen of a large display composed of the display screens of multiple displays.

[0085] Therefore, in the information processing system of this embodiment, the operation mode can be easily switched by gesture operation, similar to the case of switching the display mapped to the tablet device 1 . Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of gesture operation when switching the action mode. Figure 6 In, also with Figure 5 Similarly, assume that three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are connected to the information processing device 4. When the multi-display function is used, the confirmation flag is set to "activate (1)".

[0086] If the action mode needs to be switched, Figure 6 As shown in (A), the user presses the operation button 103 of the tablet device 1 and maintains the pressed state. In this case, the tablet device 1 notifies the tablet driver 3 that the operation button 103 is pressed. As described above, since the confirmation flag is set to "active (1)", the tablet driver 3 forms a display image representing the current focus display and provides it to the information processing device 4. At this moment, the information processing system of this embodiment operates in the individual mode, and the tablet driver 3 manages the situation in which the display 5 (3) of the tablet device 1 is mapped and becomes the focus display.

[0087] In this case, the information processing device 4 follows the instruction from the tablet driver 3, such as Figure 6 As shown in (A), a display image that can be distinguished by filling the focus display is displayed on the display screen of the display 5 (3) below the focus display. Figure 5 The image shown in (B) is the same as the image shown on the display 5 (3). Figure 6 From the display of the display 5 (3) of (A), it is understood that the current operation mode is the "individual mapping mode" and the display being mapped to the tablet device 1 is the display 5 (3) at the lower stage.

[0088] In this way, it can be confirmed that the current operation mode is "individual mapping mode". At this time, it is assumed that the user of the tablet device 1 wants to switch to "global mapping mode". In this case, Figure 6 As shown in (B), while operating button 103 is being pressed, electronic pen 2 is brought into contact with operating surface 101 S, drawing a larger circle as indicated by the arrow on operating surface 101 S. This circle drawing instruction input (by a gesture operation using electronic pen 2) constitutes a gesture operation instructing a switch in operating mode. Upon receiving this operation, tablet device 1 notifies tablet driver 3 of information regarding the operation.

[0089] The tablet driver 3 recognizes that the operation mode has been instructed to switch based on the information from the tablet device 1. The details will be described later. The tablet driver 3 changes its own settings so that the operation mode of the tablet device 1 is switched to the overall mapping mode. In addition, the tablet driver 3 issues an instruction to form a display image for notifying that the operation mode has been changed to the "overall mapping mode" and provides it to the information processing device 4 for display. In the information processing device 4, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown in (B), the display screen of the current focus display 5 (3) displays a display image for notifying that the mode has been switched to the overall mapping mode. The display image in this case is as follows Figure 6 As shown in (B), the displays corresponding to the three monitors constituting the multi-display are all filled, and it is notified that the overall mapping mode for simultaneously using all the monitors is selected.

[0090] After that, if the pressing operation of the operation button 103 is released, Figure 6 As shown by the dotted line in (C), a large display screen FS consisting of three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) is mapped onto the tablet device 1. That is, the operating mode is changed to the "entire mapping mode." In addition, in the information processing system of this embodiment, the operating mode is managed in the tablet driver 3, and the details will be described later.

[0091] The action mode is changed to the "whole mapping mode" in this way. In this case, the coordinate data of the position indication data for writing and drawing from the tablet device 1 is converted into the coordinate data corresponding to the position indicated in the drawing. Figure 6 The coordinates on the memory area corresponding to the large display shown by the dotted line in (C) are provided to the information processing device 4. As a result, in the information processing device 4, it is possible to display the instructions from the tablet device 1 on a large display screen FS composed of the displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3). In this way, in the overall mapping mode, Figure 6 However, the display images of the parts of the actual displays 5 ( 1 ), 5 ( 2 ), and 5 ( 3 ) where the display screens are not present are not visible.

[0092] Here, the case of switching from individual mapping mode to global mapping mode is described, but the same gesture operation can be used to switch from global mapping mode to individual mapping mode. Figure 6 The display shown in (A) and Figure 6 In this case, after switching to the individual mapping mode, a predetermined display is mapped by the tablet device 1 and becomes the display of interest.

[0093] Note that in Figure 6 In (B), the transition to global mapping mode is notified by displaying that all three quadrilaterals corresponding to the three connected displays are filled. However, this is not limiting. For example, the transition to global mapping mode can be notified by displaying a large filled quadrilateral, or by displaying characters such as "Global Mapping Mode." In other words, various notification methods can be used.

[0094] [Configuration Example of Each Device Constituting the Information Processing System]

[0095] Next, the structure Figure 1 The configuration example of each device of the information processing system of this embodiment is described as shown. As described above, the information processing system of this embodiment can use the multi-display function. Figures 2 to 6 As described above, the information processing system of this embodiment can switch the focus display and the operation mode by gesture operation of the electronic pen 2 on the operation surface 101S of the tablet device 1. The part that realizes this function is Figure 1 The tablet device 1, tablet driver 3, and information processing device 4 are shown surrounded by dotted lines, and thus their configuration examples will be described. Furthermore, since displays 5 (1), 5 (2), 5 (3), ..., are only required to be connected to the information processing device 4 as a PC, description of their configuration examples will be omitted.

[0096] <Configuration Example of Tablet Device 1>

[0097] Figure 7 1 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a tablet device 1 according to an embodiment. Figure 7 As shown, tablet device 1 includes a sensor unit 101, a position detection circuit 102, operation buttons 103, and a processing control unit 104. Various methods exist for detecting the indicated position between an electronic pen and a tablet device. The present invention is applicable to electronic pens of various types, including electromagnetic induction and electrostatic capacitance types.

[0098] First, the case where the tablet device 1 is of electromagnetic induction type is described. In this case, the sensor unit 101 is formed by providing a plurality of loop coils in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, respectively. As described above, in order to distinguish between gesture operations and normal position indication operations, the operation button 103 is pressed when performing gesture operations. The timing of the sensor unit 101 and the position detection circuit 102 is controlled by the processing control unit 104. Under the control of the processing control unit 104, the position detection circuit 102 alternately sets a transmission period in which power is sequentially supplied to the plurality of loop coils of the sensor unit 101 as shown by the dotted arrow to generate a magnetic field, and a reception period in which power supply is stopped as shown by the solid arrow to receive a magnetic field from the outside.

[0099] The corresponding electronic pen 2 includes a resonant circuit composed of a coil and a capacitor. A current flows through the coil in response to the magnetic field from the sensor unit 101, generating a signal. This signal, which includes writing pressure information, is transmitted to the sensor unit 101. During a reception period, the position detection circuit 102 receives this information from the sensor unit 101, detects the pointed position (Xn, Yn) and writing pressure (Pn) of the electronic pen 2, and supplies these to the processing control unit 104. The processing control unit 104 generates position indication data consisting of a detection time (tn) indicating the timing of detection of the pointed position and writing pressure, the pointed position (Xn, Yn), the writing pressure (Pn), and a button state (Sn) indicating whether an operation button has been operated. The processing control unit 104 supplies this generated position indication data to the tablet driver 3.

[0100] Furthermore, the sensor unit 101 appropriately switches which loop coil transmits signals during the transmission period and which loop coil receives signals during the reception period, under the control of the processing control unit 104. This allows for appropriate signal (magnetic field) transmission and reception regardless of the designated position of the electronic pen 2 on the operating surface 101S.

[0101] Next, we'll explain the case where the tablet device 1 uses an electrostatic capacitance method. Capacitive electronic pens (so-called electrostatic pens) include those with conductive pen-shaped position indicators and those using an active electrostatic coupling (AES) method that is battery-driven and transmits signals. Active electrostatic coupling electronic pens are sometimes referred to as active electrostatic pens or AES pens. In the case of an active electrostatic coupling method using an active electrostatic pen, the pen transmits a signal that also includes pen pressure information from the oscillator circuit installed in the pen. In this example, the electronic pen 2 is an AES pen.

[0102] If the tablet device 1 employs a capacitive sensor, the sensor unit 101 is formed by distributing multiple linear conductors (wire electrodes) in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. As described above, to distinguish between gesture operations and normal position indication operations, the operation button 103 is pressed during gesture operations. The timing between the sensor unit 101 and the position detection circuit 102 is controlled by the processing control unit 104. Under the control of the processing control unit 104, the position detection circuit 102 appropriately switches which loop coil receives the signal. Thus, the position detection circuit 102 detects the indicated position based on changes in capacitance (charge) generated by the linear conductors of the sensor unit 101 as the electronic pen (AES pen) 2 approaches the sensor unit 101.

[0103] In this case, the position detection circuit 102 detects the indicated position (Xn, Yn) and writing pressure (Pn) of the electronic pen 2 and provides them to the processing control unit 104. The processing control unit 104 generates position indication data consisting of the detection time (tn) indicating the timing of the detection of the indicated position and writing pressure, the indicated position (Xn, Yn), the writing pressure (Pn), and the button status (Sn) indicating whether the operation button has been operated. The processing control unit 104 provides the generated position indication data to the tablet driver 3. Furthermore, unlike the electromagnetic induction method, the electrostatic capacitance method does not require a transmission period and a reception period; the entire period can be said to be a reception period.

[0104] Furthermore, when the operation button 103 is pressed or when the sensor unit 101 is pointed at, the tablet device 1 generates position indication data and supplies it to the tablet driver 3. While the description herein describes the tablet device 1 as employing an electromagnetic induction method and an electrostatic capacitance method, the present invention is not limited thereto. The tablet device 1 may employ any method as long as it can output at least the indicated position (Xn, Yn) and the button status (Sn).

[0105] <Configuration Example of Information Processing Device 4>

[0106] Figure 8 4 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the information processing device 4 according to the embodiment. Figure 8As shown, information processing device 4 includes a control unit 401, a storage device 402, a tablet I / F 403, a tablet connection terminal 403T, a display I / F 404, display connection terminals T1, T2, ..., Tn, and is connected to a tablet driver 3. Although not shown, control unit 401 is a microprocessor connected to a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), nonvolatile memory, and the like, and implements the functions of controlling various components of information processing device 4.

[0107] In addition, if Figure 8 As shown, the control unit 401 includes a mapping memory 401M. The information processing device 4 reserves a screen memory area in the mapping memory 401M based on the number of displays connected to the device, and uses this screen memory area to implement a multi-display function. Of course, the mapping memory 401M may also be a dedicated memory. Details of the screen memory area reserved in the mapping memory 401M by the control unit 401 will be described later.

[0108] Storage device 402 is a device component comprised of a recording medium such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) and its drive. It records various data to the recording medium and reads, modifies, and deletes data recorded on the recording medium. In addition to storing and maintaining necessary data and programs, storage device 402 also serves as a workspace for temporarily storing intermediate data generated during various processes.

[0109] Tablet connection terminal 403T forms the connection end for tablet device 1. Tablet I / F (Interface) 403 accepts data from tablet device 1 connected via tablet connection terminal 403T, converts it into a format processable by the device, and then imports it into the device. Tablet I / F 403 also converts control data, such as data provided to tablet device 1 connected via tablet connection terminal 403T, into a format for output, and then supplies it to tablet device 1 via tablet connection terminal 403T.

[0110] Display connection terminals T1, T2, ..., Tn form connection terminals for displays 5(1), 5(2), ..., 5(n). That is, n displays can be connected simultaneously to information processing device 4, enabling the use of a multi-display function. For simplicity, the following description assumes that six displays can be connected simultaneously to information processing device 4.

[0111] The display I / F (Interface) 404 accepts data from each display connected via the display connection terminals T1, T2, ..., Tn, converts the data into a format processable by the device, and then imports it into the device. Therefore, the control unit 401 receives characteristic information, such as the resolution, from each display connected to the display connection terminals T1, T2, ..., Tn. Based on the characteristic information of each display received from the display I / F 404, the control unit 401 reserves screen memory areas in the map memory 401M for the multiple displays connected to the device.

[0112] The display I / F 404 also converts data supplied to each display connected via the display connection terminals T1, T2, ..., Tn into data in a format for output. The display I / F 404 implements a function of supplying data in a format for output to each display via the display connection terminals T1, T2, ..., Tn.

[0113] Under the control of the control unit 401, the tablet information processing unit 405 implements a function that executes processing corresponding to position indication data from the tablet driver 3 (described later). For example, consider the case where the control unit 401 executes a drawing application. Under the control of the control unit 401, the tablet information processing unit 405 generates drawing data based on the position indication data provided by the tablet device 1 and provides the data to the display mapped to the tablet device 1 via the display interface 404.

[0114] As a result, a depicted image corresponding to the position indication data from the tablet device 1 is displayed on the display mapped to the tablet device 1. Thus, the tablet information processing unit 405 performs the following processing: based on the position indication data from the tablet driver 3, the control unit 401 generates display information, and supplies the information to the display mapped to the tablet device 1.

[0115] The tablet driver 3 has two main functions. One is switching the display mapped to the tablet device 1 in response to gestures performed on the tablet device 1. The other is converting the coordinate data (X and Y coordinates) included in position indication data corresponding to typical position indication operations into coordinates within the screen memory area corresponding to the display mapped to the tablet device 1. This allows the tablet device 1 to be used as an input device, enabling the multi-display function of the information processing device 4 to function appropriately and perform various processes.

[0116] <Configuration Example of Flat Panel Driver 3>

[0117] Figure 9This is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a tablet driver 3 according to an embodiment. The tablet driver 3 is broadly divided into three processing units. The first processing unit acquires and stores information necessary for utilizing the multi-display function from the information processing device 4. The second processing unit primarily acquires position indication data from the tablet device 1, transforms the indicated position (coordinate data) contained in this position indication data as needed, and provides it to the tablet information processing unit 405. The third processing unit switches the display mapped to the tablet device 1 and switches the operating mode based on gestures performed on the tablet device 1. Each processing unit is described below.

[0118] The first processing section includes a memory area information acquisition unit 301 and a screen memory area information storage unit 302. The memory area information acquisition unit 301 refers to the information stored in the mapping memory 401M included in the control unit 401 of the information processing device 4, acquires the necessary information, and then performs processing to store the information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302. Furthermore, the processing of the memory area information acquisition unit 301 is performed when the power of the information processing device 4 is turned on, or when the number of displays connected to the display I / F 404 increases or decreases, causing the information stored in the mapping memory 401M to change. Therefore, the memory area information acquisition unit 301 regularly checks the information in the mapping memory 401M of the control unit 401 of the information processing device 4.

[0119] The screen memory area information storage unit 302 is, for example, located in nonvolatile memory within the control unit 401 and can be accessed by the tablet driver 3 for writing, reading, changing, and deleting data as needed. As described above, the screen memory area information storage unit 302 stores information (screen memory area information) necessary for utilizing the multi-display function of the tablet device 1, acquired by the memory area information acquisition unit 301. This necessary information relates to the screen memory areas reserved for the displays connected to the information processing device 4. Information indicating the operating mode and information indicating the displays mapped to the tablet device 1 are also managed, as will be described in detail later.

[0120] The second processing section includes a position indication data receiving unit 303, a button operation determination unit 304, a coordinate conversion unit (image forming unit) 305, and a data providing unit 306. The position indication data receiving unit 303 receives the position indication data from the tablet I / F 403 and provides it to the button operation determination unit 304. Figure 7As described above, this position indication data includes the detection time (tn), the indicated position (Xn, Yn), the pen pressure (Pn), and the button status (Sn). The button operation determination unit 304 checks the button status (Sn) in the position indication data provided by the tablet device 1 and determines whether it is a gesture operation. The button operation determination unit 304 provides position indication data determined not to be a gesture operation to the coordinate conversion unit 305.

[0121] The coordinate conversion unit 305 refers to the screen memory area information storage unit 302 and converts the indicated position (Xn, Yn) of the supplied position indication data into coordinate data within the screen memory area of the display mapped to the tablet device 1. The coordinate conversion unit 305 provides the position indication data including the converted indicated position (coordinate data) to the data providing unit 306. The data providing unit 306 provides the position indication data from the coordinate conversion unit 305 to the tablet information processing unit 405 of the information processing device 4. The information processing device 4 then performs processing corresponding to the position indication data from the tablet device 1.

[0122] The third processing section includes a gesture determination section 307, a mapping switching processing section 308, and an action mode switching processing section 309. In the button operation determination section 304 of the second processing section, it is determined that the position indication data provided by the tablet device 1 is position indication data obtained by a gesture operation. In this case, the button operation determination section 304 checks the information stored in the screen memory area information storage section 302 and determines whether the confirmation flag is "activated (1)". If it is determined that the confirmation flag is "activated (1)", the button operation determination section 304 instructs the coordinate conversion section 305 to generate and output a display image for notifying the state of the attention display or action mode.

[0123] In this case, the coordinate transformation unit 305 functions as an image forming unit, and first, forms and outputs a display image for notifying the current state of the focus display and action mode, referring to the information stored in the screen memory area information storage unit 302. Thereafter, the coordinate transformation unit 305, which functions as an image forming unit, forms and outputs a display image for notifying the state of the focus display and action mode corresponding to the gesture operation, according to instructions from the mapping switching processing unit 308 and the action mode switching processing unit 309 described later. Thus, for example, when using Figure 5 (B), (C), (D), (E), Figure 6 As described in (A) and (B) of FIG. 1 , the display screen of the focus display at that time can display the state in which the focus display and the operation mode are changed.

[0124] Furthermore, when the button operation determination unit 304 determines that the position indication data provided from the tablet device 1 is position indication data of a gesture operation, each unit of the third processing unit functions. In this case, the button operation determination unit 304 provides the position indication data received by the position indication data receiving unit 303 to the gesture determination unit 307. The gesture determination unit 307 determines the content of the gesture operation performed based on the change state of the indication position (coordinate data) included in the position indication data provided sequentially. The gesture determination unit 307 determines whether the gesture operation performed is a gesture operation performed using Figures 2 to 5 The instructions for switching the display mapped to the tablet device are explained, or using Figure 6 Instructions for switching the operating mode.

[0125] The gesture recognition unit 307 recognizes that a gesture operation indicating a switch of the display mapped to the tablet device is in progress based on the position indication data sequentially provided from the button operation recognition unit 304. In this case, the gesture recognition unit 307 issues an instruction to the mapping switching processing unit 308 to display the state of the change of the focus display corresponding to the instruction. The mapping switching processing unit 308 refers to the confirmation flag of the screen memory area information storage unit 302, and when it is "activated (1)", it issues an instruction to the coordinate transformation unit (image forming unit) 305 to display the position of the focus display changed in the direction corresponding to the gesture operation. Thus, as described above, the coordinate transformation unit 305 functioning as the image forming unit forms and outputs a display image indicating the process of switching the focus display, so that it can be used. Figure 5 If the confirmation flag of the screen memory area information storage unit 302 is "inactive (0)", this process is not performed.

[0126] Assume that the gesture determination unit 307 determines that the supply of position instruction data sequentially supplied from the button operation determination unit 304 has ceased, and that the gesture operation for instructing the switching of the display mapped to the tablet device has ended. In this case, the gesture determination unit 307 instructs the mapping switching processing unit 308 to switch the display of interest in accordance with the instruction. In response to the instruction from the gesture determination unit 307, the mapping switching processing unit 308 changes the information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 indicating the display mapped to the tablet device 1 to indicate the instructed display.

[0127] Furthermore, the gesture recognition unit 307 determines that the gesture operation being performed is an instruction to switch the action mode. In this case, the gesture recognition unit 307 issues an instruction to change the action mode to the action mode switching unit 309. Based on the instruction from the gesture recognition unit 307, the action mode switching unit 309 processes the information indicating the action mode in the screen memory area information storage unit 302. If the information indicating the action mode in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 indicates the individual mapping mode, the action mode switching unit 309 switches to the global mapping mode. Conversely, if the information indicates the global mapping mode, the action mode switching unit 309 switches to the individual mapping mode.

[0128] In addition, the action mode switching processing unit 309 refers to the confirmation flag of the screen memory area information storage unit 302, and when it is "activated (1)", it issues an instruction to the coordinate conversion unit (image forming unit) 305 to display the action mode after the switching. As described above, the coordinate conversion unit 305 functioning as the image forming unit forms and outputs a display image that notifies the action mode after the switching. As described above, the coordinate conversion unit 305 functioning as the image forming unit forms and outputs a display image that indicates the action mode after the switching, so that the operation mode can be used. Figure 6 If the confirmation flag of the screen memory area information storage unit 302 is "inactive (0)", this process is not performed.

[0129] In this manner, the tablet driver 3 of this embodiment can switch the display mapped to the tablet device 1 or switch the operating mode in response to a gesture operation from the tablet device 1. This makes it possible to simply execute a targeted process on a target display among multiple displays connected to the information processing device 4, or to execute a process using a large screen composed of multiple displays.

[0130] [How to use the multi-monitor function]

[0131] Next, a method of utilizing the multi-display function in the information processing system of this embodiment will be described in detail. Figures 10 to 14 This is a diagram for explaining how a display is connected to the information processing device 4 , and the screen memory area secured according to the connected display and its management.

[0132] <When three monitors are arranged horizontally>

[0133] First, if Figure 10 As shown in (A), the three monitors 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are arranged horizontally on a table and connected via the monitor connection terminals T1, T2, and T3 of the information processing device 4 to use the multi-monitor function. In this example, Figure 10As shown in (A), the resolutions of the three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are all 1920 pixels × 1080 pixels.

[0134] In this case, the device ID, resolution, and other attribute information of the displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) connected via the display connection terminals T1, T2, and T3 are acquired via the display I / F 404 and notified to the control unit 401. Furthermore, the user uses the tablet device 1 and the electronic pen 2 to set the display of the information processing device 4. Therefore, the control unit 401 executes the display setting based on the instruction input received from the user via the tablet connection terminals and the tablet I / F 403, and receives setting input required for utilizing the multi-display function, such as the arrangement order of the displays. In the following, in the initial state, the displays predetermined according to the number of connected devices are mapped to the tablet device 1.

[0135] Thus, the control unit 401 reserves a memory area in the mapping memory 401M based on the attribute information from the connected displays 5(1), 5(2), and 5(3), the set information, that is, the information indicating the arrangement order of the displays, and the like. In this example, Figure 10 As shown in (B), a memory area corresponding to a large display screen formed when displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) with a resolution of 1920 pixels × 1080 pixels are arranged horizontally is secured. This memory area is a rectangular memory area with the two ends of the diagonal line, that is, the upper left end, as the origin (0, 0) and the lower right end as the maximum value (5760, 1080). In this example, within the large memory area corresponding to the large display screen, the three memory areas divided by the dotted lines become memory areas mapped (allocated) to displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3), respectively.

[0136] Therefore, the area on the left end becomes the memory area mapped to the display 5 (1) specified by device ID = A. In addition, the area in the center becomes the memory area mapped to the display 5 (2) specified by device ID = B. In addition, the area on the left becomes the memory area mapped to the display 5 (3) specified by device ID = B. In this way, in the mapping memory 401M of the control unit 401 of the information processing device 4, memory area information including the arrangement positions of the displays connected to the device and the memory areas allocated to each display is formed.

[0137] As described above, in individual mapping mode, display processing for a single display is performed using the memory area allocated to the display being mapped on tablet device 1. Furthermore, in global mapping mode, display processing is performed on the large display screen composed of multiple displays connected to information processing device 4 using the large memory area allocated to the large display screen composed of multiple displays.

[0138] In addition, although Figure 10 Although omitted in (B), management is performed to understand which display connection terminal is connected to the display identified by the device ID. Therefore, in this example, in the information processing device 4, it is understood that the display 5 (1) is connected to the connection terminal T1, the display 5 (2) is connected to the connection terminal T2, and the display 5 (3) is connected to the connection terminal T3.

[0139] The memory area information acquisition unit 301 of the tablet driver 3 acquires the stored information of the mapping memory 401M of the information processing device 4, adds necessary information to form the screen memory area information, and Figure 10 The method shown in (C) is recorded in the screen memory area information storage unit 302. Figure 10 As shown in (C), the screen memory area information stored in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 includes the device ID, resolution, area, focus screen, and operating mode. Therefore, in this example, based on the information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302, information processing device 4 is connected to three displays with device IDs "A," "B," and "C," and each has a resolution of "1920 pixels x 1080 pixels."

[0140] Therefore, the position of each display can be understood at the right end of the area (position) column as indicated by the characters L, C, and R. That is, it can be understood that the display 5 (1) with the device ID "A" is located on the left (L), the display 5 (2) with the device ID "B" is located in the center (C), and the display 5 (3) with the device ID "C" is located on the right (R).

[0141] In addition, in the column of the focus screen, it can be understood that the display 5 (2) with the device ID "B" currently located in the center is the focus display (focus screen) mapped to the tablet device 1. In addition, as Figure 10 As shown in the upper right portion of (C), the screen memory area information storage unit 302 also manages information indicating the operation mode. At this point in time, the operation mode in the multi-display function of this information processing system indicates that it is the individual mapping mode.

[0142] By preparing the screen memory area information storage unit 302 of the tablet driver 3 for use Figure 10(C) Description of the screen memory area information, can be achieved with the use of Figure 2 、 Figure 3 The gesture operation described above corresponds to the switching of the focus display. Figure 10 As described in (C), three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are connected to the information processing device 4. In this case, it is understood that the display 5 (2) with the device ID "B" located in the center is mapped to the tablet device 1.

[0143] In this case, if Figure 2 As shown in (B), in the tablet device 1, while the operation button 103 is pressed, a gesture operation is performed by bringing the electronic pen 2 into contact with the operation surface 101 S and moving it to the left. In this case, the information of the column of the focus screen of the stored information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 is rewritten by the functions of the button operation determination unit 304, the gesture determination unit 307, and the mapping switching processing unit 308 of the tablet driver 3. Specifically, the column of the focus screen of the display 5 (1) with the device ID "A" on the left is set to "1 (active)", and the column of the focus screen of the display 5 (2) with the device ID "B" in the center is set to "0 (inactive)". As a result, the display mapped to the tablet device 1 is switched to the display 5 (1) on the left.

[0144] After that, a normal position pointing operation is performed on the operation surface 101S of the tablet device 1 without pressing the operation button 103. In this case, the coordinate conversion unit 305 of the tablet driver 3 converts the coordinate data included in the position pointing data from the tablet device 1 into the coordinates of the memory area of the left display 5 (1) mapped to the tablet device 1. In other words, the position pointing operation is processed as a position pointing operation performed on the memory area ((0, 0), (1920, 1080)), and the position pointing data including the processed (converted) coordinate data is supplied to the tablet information processing unit 405. As a result, the result corresponding to the position pointing operation performed on the tablet device 1 is displayed on the left display 5 (1).

[0145] <When two monitors are arranged in portrait orientation and three monitors are arranged in landscape orientation>

[0146] Then, if Figure 11 As shown in (A), six displays 5 (1) to 5 (6) are arranged in a matrix of 2 by 3 and connected via display connection terminals T1 to T6 of the information processing device 4 to use the multi-display function. In this example, the resolution of the six displays 5 (1) to 5 (6) is 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels.

[0147] and Figure 10 Similarly to the example shown, the device ID, resolution, and other attribute information of the displays 5 (1) to 5 (6) connected via the display connection terminals T1 to T6 are obtained via the display I / F 404 and notified to the control unit 401. Furthermore, the control unit 401 executes display settings based on user input received via the tablet connection terminals and the tablet I / F 403, and receives setting inputs required for utilizing the multi-display function, such as the arrangement order of the displays.

[0148] The control unit 401 reserves a memory area in the mapping memory 401M based on the attribute information from the connected displays 5 (1) to 5 (6), the set information, that is, the information indicating the arrangement order of the displays, etc. In this example, Figure 11 As shown in (B), a memory area corresponding to a large display screen formed when displays 5 (1) to 5 (6) are arranged in a matrix of 2×3 is secured. This memory area is a rectangular memory area with the two ends of the diagonal line, that is, the upper left end, as the origin (0, 0) and the lower right end as the maximum value (5760, 2160). In this example, within the large memory area corresponding to the large display screen, the six memory areas divided by the dotted lines become memory areas mapped (allocated) to displays 5 (1) to 5 (6), respectively.

[0149] Therefore, the area on the left side of the upper row becomes the memory area mapped to the display 5 (1) specified by device ID = A. In addition, the area in the center of the upper row becomes the memory area mapped to the display 5 (2) specified by device ID = B. In addition, the area on the right side of the upper row becomes the memory area mapped to the display 5 (3) specified by device ID = C.

[0150] The area on the left side of the lower row is a memory area mapped for the display 5 (4) identified by device ID = D. The area in the center of the lower row is a memory area mapped for the display 5 (5) identified by device ID = E. The area on the right side of the lower row is a memory area mapped for the display 5 (6) identified by device ID = F. Information related to these memory areas is stored in the mapping memory 401M of the control unit 401 of the information processing device 4.

[0151] The memory area information acquisition unit 301 of the tablet driver 3 acquires the stored information of the mapping memory 401M of the information processing device 4, adds necessary information to form the screen memory area information, and Figure 11 The method shown in (C) is recorded in the screen memory area information storage unit 302. Figure 11As shown in (C), the screen memory area information stored in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 includes the device ID, resolution, area, focus screen, and operating mode. Therefore, in this example, according to the information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302, information processing device 4 is connected to six displays with device IDs "A," "B," "C," "D," "E," and "F," each with a resolution of "1920 pixels x 1080 pixels."

[0152] Therefore, the position of each display can be understood as indicated by the characters UL, UC, UR, BL, BC, and BR at the right end of the area (position) column. That is, it can be understood that the display 5 (1) with the device ID "A" is located on the left side of the upper section (UL), the display 5 (2) with the device ID "B" is located in the center of the upper section (UC), and the display 5 (3) with the device ID "C" is located on the right side of the upper section (UR). In addition, it can be understood that the display 5 (4) with the device ID "D" is located on the left side of the lower section (BL), the display 5 (5) with the device ID "E" is located in the center of the lower section (BC), and the display 5 (6) with the device ID "F" is located on the right side of the lower section (BR).

[0153] In the column of the focus screen, it can be understood that the display 5 (5) with the device ID "E" currently located in the center of the lower row is the focus display (focus screen) mapped to the tablet device 1. Figure 11 As shown in the upper right part of (C), the screen memory area information storage unit 302 also manages information indicating the operation mode. At the current time point, the operation mode of the multi-display function in the information processing system is the individual mapping mode. By preparing the screen memory area information storage unit 302 for use in the tablet driver 3 Figure 11 (C) Description of the screen memory area information, can be achieved with the use of Figure 4 The gesture operation described above corresponds to switching of the focus display.

[0154] In this case, if Figure 4As shown in (A), in the tablet device 1, while the operation button 103 is pressed, the electronic pen 2 is brought into contact with the operation surface 101 S and moved first to the left and then to the upper side. In this case, the information of the column of the focus screen of the stored information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 is rewritten by the functions of the button operation determination unit 304, the gesture determination unit 307, and the mapping switching processing unit 308 of the tablet driver 3. Specifically, the column of the focus screen of the display 5 (1) with the device ID "A" located on the left side of the upper row is set to "1 (active)", and the column of the focus screen of the display 5 (5) with the device ID "E" located in the center of the lower row is set to "0 (inactive)". As a result, the display mapped to the tablet device 1 is switched to the display 5 (1) on the left side of the upper row.

[0155] After that, a normal position pointing operation is performed on the operation surface 101S of the tablet device 1 without the pressing operation of the operation button 103. In this case, the coordinate conversion unit 305 of the tablet driver 3 converts the coordinate data included in the position pointing data from the tablet device 1 into the coordinates of the memory area of the upper left display 5 (1) mapped to the tablet device 1. In other words, the position pointing operation is processed as a position pointing operation performed on the memory area ((0, 0), (1920, 1080)), and the position pointing data including the processed (converted) coordinate data is provided to the tablet information processing unit 405. As a result, the result corresponding to the position pointing operation performed on the tablet device 1 is displayed on the upper left display 5 (1).

[0156] <When two monitors are placed in the upper section and one monitor is placed in the lower section>

[0157] Next, if Figure 12 As shown in (A), the following describes a case where displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are arranged and connected via the display connection terminals T1, T2, and T3 of the information processing device 4 to use the multi-display function. Specifically, this is an example of a case where three displays are arranged and connected, such as two in the upper row and one in the lower row. In this example, the resolution of the three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) is 1920 pixels × 1080 pixels.

[0158] and use Figure 10As described above, the device ID, resolution, and other attribute information of the displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) connected via the display connection terminals T1, T2, and T3 are obtained via the display I / F 404 and notified to the control unit 401. Furthermore, the control unit 401 executes display settings based on instruction inputs received from the user via the tablet connection terminals and the tablet I / F 403, and receives setting inputs required for utilizing the multi-display function, such as the arrangement order of the displays.

[0159] The control unit 401 reserves a memory area in the mapping memory 401M based on the attribute information from the connected displays 5(1), 5(2), and 5(3), the set information, that is, the information indicating the arrangement order of the displays, and the like. In this example, Figure 12 As shown in (B), a screen memory area corresponding to a large display screen formed when the displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are arranged as two in the upper section and one in the lower section is secured. This screen memory area is a rectangular memory area with the two ends of the diagonal line, i.e., the upper left end, as the origin (0, 0) and the lower right end as the maximum value (3820, 2160).

[0160] In this example, in the large memory area corresponding to the large screen, the three memory areas divided by the dotted lines are memory areas mapped (allocated) to the displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3), respectively. In addition, the screen memory area corresponding to the large display screen formed by combining the display screens of the three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) is as follows: Figure 12 (B) shows a rectangular area of 3820 pixels x 2160 pixels. However, since there is no display screen in the area marked with diagonal lines, no image is displayed in the full mapping mode, and the displayed image in this area cannot be viewed.

[0161] Therefore, the area on the left side of the upper row becomes the memory area mapped for display 5 (1) identified by device ID = A. Furthermore, the area on the right side of the upper row becomes the memory area mapped for display 5 (2) identified by device ID = B. Furthermore, the area in the center of the lower row becomes the memory area mapped for display 5 (3) identified by device ID = C. Such memory area information is stored in mapping memory 401M of control unit 401 of information processing device 4.

[0162] The memory area information acquisition unit 301 of the tablet driver 3 acquires the stored information of the mapping memory 401M of the information processing device 4, adds necessary information to form the screen memory area information, and Figure 12 The method shown in (C) is recorded in the screen memory area information storage unit 302. Figure 12 As shown in (C), the screen memory area information stored in screen memory area information storage unit 302 includes the device ID, resolution, area, focused screen, operating mode, and confirmation flag. Therefore, in this example, the information in screen memory area information storage unit 302 indicates that the three displays connected to information processing device 4, with device IDs "A," "B," and "C," have resolutions of "1920 pixels x 1080 pixels," respectively.

[0163] Therefore, the position of each display can be understood as indicated by the characters UL, UR, and BC at the right end of the area (position) column. That is, it can be understood that the display 5 (1) with the device ID "A" is located on the left side of the upper section (UL), the display 5 (2) with the device ID "B" is located on the right side of the upper section (UR), and the display 5 (3) with the device ID "C" is located in the center of the lower section (BC). In addition, in the column of the focus screen, it can be understood that the display 5 (3) with the device ID "C" currently located in the center of the lower section is the focus display (focus screen) mapped to the tablet device 1.

[0164] In addition, if Figure 12 As shown in the upper right part of (C), the screen memory area information storage unit 302 also manages information indicating the action mode. At the current time point, the action mode in the multi-display function of the information processing system is shown to be the individual mapping mode. In addition, although Figure 10 and Figure 11 Not shown, but as Figure 12 As shown in the upper right part of (C), the screen memory area information storage unit 302 also manages information indicating a confirmation flag. When the confirmation flag is set to "activate (1)", as shown in Figure 5 、 Figure 6 As described above, the state of the focus display and the operation mode can be displayed and confirmed.

[0165] By preparing the screen memory area information storage unit 302 of the tablet driver 3 for use Figure 12 (C) Description of the screen memory area information, can be achieved with the use of Figure 5 The gesture operation described above corresponds to the switching of the focus display. Figure 12 As described in (C), it is known that three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are connected to the information processing device 4 in the form of two in the upper section and one in the lower section. In addition, it is known that the display 5 (3) with the device ID "C" located in the center of the lower section of the tablet device 1 is mapped and becomes the focus display. In addition, in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 of the tablet driver 3, as shown in FIG. Figure 12As shown in (C), the confirmation flag is set to "Active (1)" and the operation mode is set to "1: Individual mapping mode".

[0166] In this case, if the user presses the operation button 103 of the tablet device 1 in order to switch the focus display, the position indication data in which the button state (Sn) is set to "active (1)" is supplied from the tablet device 1 to the information processing device 4. In the tablet driver 3, according to the instruction from the button operation determination unit 304, the coordinate conversion unit (image forming unit) 305 refers to the stored information of the screen memory area information storage unit 302, forms a display image indicating which focus display is at the current moment, and outputs it. Thus, the tablet information processing unit 405 of the information processing device 4 functions to display the focus display on the display screen of the display that is the focus display at the current moment. Figure 5 The display of the (B) display 5 and the (C) display 5 are displayed in a manner indicating attention.

[0167] Then, the user performs a gesture operation of bringing the electronic pen 2 into contact with the operation surface 101 S, first moving it upward and then to the right, while pressing the operation button 103 of the tablet device 1. In this case, the switching state of the focus display is displayed.

[0168] Afterwards, the gesture recognition unit 307 of the tablet driver 3 determines that the gesture operation has ended. In this case, the information in the column of the focus screen of the stored information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 is rewritten by the functions of the button operation recognition unit 304 and the mapping switching processing unit 308. That is, the column of the focus screen of the display 5 (2) with the device ID "B" located on the right side of the upper stage is set to "1 (active)", and the column of the focus screen of the display 5 (3) with the device ID "C" located in the center of the lower stage is set to "0 (inactive)". As a result, the display mapped to the tablet device 1 is switched from the display 5 (3) in the center of the lower stage to the display 5 (2) on the right side of the upper stage.

[0169] After that, a normal position indication operation is performed on the operation surface 101S of the tablet device 1 without the pressing operation of the operation button 103. In this case, the coordinate conversion unit 305 of the tablet driver 3 converts the coordinate data included in the position indication data from the tablet device 1 into the coordinates of the memory area of the display 5 (2) on the upper right side mapped to the tablet device 1. In other words, the position indication data is processed as a position indication operation performed on the memory area ((1920, 0), (3840, 1080)), and the position indication data including the processed (converted) coordinate data is provided to the tablet information processing unit 405. As a result, the result corresponding to the position indication operation performed on the tablet device 1 is displayed on the display 5 (2) on the upper right side.

[0170] Thus, if the confirmation flag is set to "Active (1)", Figure 5 As described above, the display mapped to the tablet device 1 is changed according to the gesture operation of the electronic pen 2, and the change can be confirmed in the display image. Therefore, as the display mapped to the tablet device 1, when it can be confirmed that the display as the target can be indicated (designated), the display mapped to the tablet device 1 can be switched. In addition, similarly, when the confirmation flag is set to "Active (1)", as shown in the following example, Figure 6 As described above, the operation mode is changed according to the gesture operation of the electronic pen 2 , and the status of the change can be confirmed in the displayed image.

[0171] <Multi-monitor function using monitors with different resolutions>

[0172] use Figures 10 to 12 The example described above describes a case where multiple monitors with the same resolution are connected to the information processing device 4 to utilize the multi-display function. However, multiple monitors with different resolutions may also be connected to the information processing device 4 to utilize the multi-display function. The present invention is also applicable to such cases where monitors with different resolutions are connected to the information processing device 4 to utilize the multi-display function.

[0173] <When displays with different resolutions are arranged horizontally (horizontally)>

[0174] like Figure 13 As shown in (A), the three monitors 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are arranged horizontally on a table and connected via the monitor connection terminals T1, T2, and T3 of the information processing device 4 to use the multi-monitor function. In this example, the resolution of the monitor 5 (1) arranged on the left and the monitor 5 (3) arranged on the right is 1920 pixels × 1080 pixels. However, the resolution of the monitor arranged in the center is 3840 pixels × 2160 pixels.

[0175] The control unit 401 of the information processing device 4 and the user Figures 10 to 12 Similarly to the case described above, based on the attribute information of the displays 5(1), 5(2), and 5(3) and the information set in the display settings, a memory area is reserved in the mapping memory 401M. In this example, Figure 13 As shown in (B), the memory area corresponding to the large display screen composed of the display screens of three monitors is confirmed. Figure 13 As shown in (B), this memory area is a rectangular memory area with the two ends of the diagonal line, that is, the upper left end, as the origin (0, 0) and the lower right end as the maximum value (7680, 2160).

[0176] like Figure 13 As shown in (B), the screen memory area corresponding to the large display screen formed by combining the display screens of the three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) is a rectangular area of 7680 pixels × 2160 pixels. Therefore, the area on the left end becomes the memory area mapped for the display 5 (1) identified by device ID = A. In addition, the center area becomes the memory area mapped for the display 5 (2) identified by device ID = B. In addition, the area on the left becomes the memory area mapped for the display 5 (3) identified by device ID = C.

[0177] The memory area information acquisition unit 301 of the tablet driver 3 acquires the stored information of the mapping memory 401M of the information processing device 4, adds necessary information to form the screen memory area information, and Figure 13 The method shown in (C) is recorded in the screen memory area information storage unit 302. Figure 13 As shown in (C), the information stored in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 includes the device ID, resolution, area, focused screen, operating mode, and confirmation flag. Therefore, in this example, the information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 indicates that three displays with device IDs "A," "B," and "C" are connected to the information processing device 4. Furthermore, it is determined that the resolutions of the displays with device IDs "A" and "C" are "1920 pixels x 1080 pixels," while the resolution of the display with device ID "B" is "3480 pixels x 2160 pixels."

[0178] Therefore, the position of each display can be understood at the right end of the area (position) column as indicated by the characters L, C, and R. That is, it can be understood that the display 5 (1) with the device ID "A" is located on the left (L), the display 5 (2) with the device ID "B" is located in the center (C), and the display 5 (3) with the device ID "C" is located on the right (R).

[0179] will be used with Figure 13 The information related to the screen memory area described in (C) is stored in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 of the tablet driver 3. In this case, the screen memory area can be easily used by gesture operation using the electronic pen. Figure 2 、 Figure 3 Instructions for switching and using the display Figure 6 This section describes the switching of the operation mode.

[0180] <When displays with different resolutions are arranged vertically (Vertical Arrangement)>

[0181] like Figure 14As shown in (A), the following describes a case where three monitors 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are arranged on the upper side of the monitor 5 (3) using a so-called monitor arm. In this example, the three monitors 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) are also connected via the monitor connection terminals T1, T2, and T3 of the information processing device 4 to use the multi-monitor function. In addition, in this example, as Figure 14 As shown in (A), the resolutions of display 5 (1) and display 5 (2) are 1920 pixels × 1080 pixels, and the resolution of display 5 (3) is 3840 pixels × 2160 pixels.

[0182] The control unit 401 of the information processing device 4 and the user Figures 10 to 12 Similarly to the case described above, based on the attribute information of the displays 5(1), 5(2), and 5(3) and the information set in the display settings, a memory area is reserved in the mapping memory 401M. In this example, Figure 14 As shown in (B), a memory area corresponding to a large display screen composed of three display screens is secured. Figure 14 As shown in (B), this memory area is a rectangular memory area with the two ends of the diagonal line, that is, the upper left end, as the origin (0, 0) and the lower right end as the maximum value (3840, 3240).

[0183] In this example, within the large memory area corresponding to the large screen, the three memory areas divided by the dotted lines are memory areas mapped (allocated) to the displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3), respectively. In addition, the memory area corresponding to the larger display screen formed by combining the display screens of the three displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) is as follows: Figure 14 (B) shows a rectangular area of 3840 pixels × 3240 pixels.

[0184] Therefore, the area on the left side of the upper row becomes the memory area mapped to the display 5 (1) specified by device ID = A. In addition, the area on the right side of the upper row becomes the memory area mapped to the display 5 (2) specified by device ID = B. In addition, the area on the lower row becomes the memory area mapped to the display 5 (3) specified by device ID = C.

[0185] In addition, Figure 14 In the case of the example shown in (B), it becomes Figure 13 In the case of (B), no area that does not correspond to the display screen of any monitor will be generated in the guaranteed screen memory area. Therefore, in the overall mapping mode, no area where no image is displayed will be generated. Figure 14The memory area information described in (B) is formed in the map memory 401M of the control unit 401 of the information processing device 4 .

[0186] The memory area information acquisition unit 301 of the tablet driver 3 acquires the stored information of the mapping memory 401M of the information processing device 4, adds necessary information to form the screen memory area information, and Figure 14 The method shown in (C) is recorded in the screen memory area information storage unit 302. Figure 14 As shown in (C), the information stored in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 includes the device ID, resolution, area, focused screen, operating mode, and confirmation flag. Therefore, in this example, the information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 indicates that three displays with device IDs "A," "B," and "C" are connected to the information processing device 4. Furthermore, the resolution of the displays with device IDs "A" and "B" is determined to be "1920 pixels x 1080 pixels," while the resolution of the display with device ID "C" is determined to be "3480 pixels x 2160 pixels."

[0187] Therefore, the position of each display can be understood as indicated by the characters UL, UR, and UC on the right end of the area (position) column. That is, it can be understood that the display 5 (1) with the device ID "A" is located on the upper left side (UL), the display 5 (2) with the device ID "B" is located on the upper right side (UR), and the display 5 (3) with the device ID "C" is located on the lower side (BT).

[0188] In addition, in the column of the focus screen, it can be understood that the display 5 (3) with the device ID "C" currently located in the lower row is the focus display (focus screen) mapped to the tablet device 1. In addition, as Figure 14 As shown in the upper right portion of (C), the screen memory area information storage unit 302 also manages information indicating the operation mode and information indicating the confirmation flag. At the current time point, it is shown that the operation mode of the multi-display function in the information processing system is the individual mapping mode, and the confirmation flag is "Active (1)".

[0189] will be used with Figure 14 The information related to the screen memory area described in (C) is stored in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 of the tablet driver 3. In this case, the screen memory area can be easily used by gesture operation using the electronic pen. Figure 5 Instructions for switching and using the display Figure 6 This section describes the switching of the operation mode.

[0190] [Summary of the Operation of Tablet Driver 3]

[0191] Figure 15 、 Figure 16 This is a flowchart for explaining the processing performed by the tablet driver of the embodiment. By connecting a plurality of displays 5 (1), 5 (2), 5 (3), ..., and turning on the power of the information processing device 4 connected to the tablet device 1, the tablet driver 3 functions to perform Figure 15 、 Figure 16 The processing is shown in the flowchart.

[0192] In the tablet driver 3, first, the memory area information acquisition unit 301 functions. The memory area information acquisition unit 301 acquires the stored information of the mapping memory 401M of the information processing device 4, adds necessary information such as the operation mode and confirmation flag to form the screen memory area information, and stores it in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 (step S101). Here, the stored information of the mapping memory 401M is stored using Figure 10 B. Figure 11 B. Figure 12 B. Figure 13 B. Figure 14 B. In addition, the screen memory area information is formed using Figure 10 (C) Figure 11 (C) Figure 12 (C) Figure 13 (C) Figure 14 (C) Description of the information.

[0193] Next, the position indication data receiving unit 303 of the tablet driver 3 receives the position indication data from the tablet device 1 and provides it to the button operation determination unit 304 (step S102). The button operation determination unit 304 refers to the button status (Sn) of the provided position indication data to determine whether the operation button 103 has been operated (step S103). In the determination process of step S103, it is determined whether the received position indication data corresponds to a normal operation such as writing or drawing, or a gesture operation associated with pressing the operation button 103.

[0194] In the determination process of step S103, it is assumed that the position indication data is determined not to be associated with a pressing operation of the operation button 103 (the position indication data corresponds to a normal position indication operation). In this case, the button operation determination unit 304 supplies the position indication data from the position indication data receiving unit 303 to the coordinate conversion unit 305. The coordinate conversion unit 305 refers to the data stored in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 and converts the coordinate data (Xn, Yn) of the supplied position indication data into the coordinates of the memory area corresponding to the display mapped on the tablet device 1 (step S104). The position indication data with the converted coordinate data is supplied to the data supply unit 306. The data supply unit 306 supplies the position indication data from the coordinate conversion unit 305 to the tablet information processing unit 405 of the information processing device 4 (step S105). As a result, the information processing device 4 performs processing corresponding to the position indication data from the tablet device 1.

[0195] After the processing of step S105, the control unit 401 of the information processing device 4, which functions as the control unit of the tablet driver 3, determines whether a termination event such as power off has occurred (step S106). If it is determined in the determination process of step S105 that no termination event has occurred, the processing from step S102 onwards is repeated. If it is determined in the determination process of step S105 that a termination event has occurred, a series of termination processes such as closing the file in use are performed (step S107), and the process ends. Figure 15 、 Figure 16 The processing is shown in the flowchart.

[0196] On the other hand, in the determination process of step S103, it is determined that the operation is accompanied by the pressing of the operation button 103 (the position indication data corresponds to the gesture operation accompanied by the pressing of the operation button 103). At this time, the button operation determination unit 304 provides the position indication data from the position indication data receiving unit 303 to the gesture determination unit 307. The gesture determination unit 307 determines the instruction content of the gesture operation based on the changes in the position indication data sequentially provided by the button operation determination unit 304 (step S108). In step S108, it is determined that the instruction is a switching instruction of the action mode, such as drawing a circle with the electronic pen while pressing the operation button 103 ( Figure 6 ), or to draw a straight line to the left, right, up, down, etc., such as the switching instruction of the focus display ( Figures 2 to 5 ).

[0197] The gesture determination unit 307 determines whether the determination result in step S108 is a switch of the action mode (step S109). In the determination process of step S109, it is determined that it is not an instruction to switch the action mode. In this case, the gesture determination unit 307 issues an instruction to the mapping switching processing unit 308 to switch the column of the focus screen of the screen memory area information based on the determined gesture operation. As a result, the mapping switching processing unit 308 performs an update process of the column of the focus screen of the screen memory area information storage unit 302 (step S110). In step S110, the following process is performed: the column of the focus screen of the display that is the focus display at the current moment is cleared, and the column of the focus screen of the display indicated by the gesture operation is set to "Active (1)". Thereafter, the process from step S106 is performed.

[0198] In addition, in the determination process of step S109, it is determined that it is an instruction to switch the action mode. In this case, the gesture determination unit 307 issues an instruction to switch the action mode to the action mode switching processing unit 309. Therefore, the action mode switching processing unit 309 proceeds to Figure 16 The process is performed, and first the setting of the action mode is confirmed with reference to the storage information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302, and it is determined whether the current action mode is the individual mapping mode (step S111).

[0199] When it is determined in the determination process of step S111 that the current action mode is the individual mapping mode, the action mode switching processing unit 309 changes the setting of the action mode of the screen memory area information storage unit 302 to the overall mapping mode (step S112). Conversely, when it is determined in the determination process of step S111 that the current action mode is not the individual mapping mode, the action mode switching processing unit 309 changes the setting of the action mode of the screen memory area information storage unit 302 to the individual mapping mode (step S113). After the processing of step S112 and after the processing of step S113, the operation is performed from Figure 15 The processing starts from step S106.

[0200] Furthermore, when the confirmation flag of the screen memory area information storage unit 302 of the tablet driver 3 is "activated (1)", in the process of step S108, the coordinate conversion unit (image forming unit) 305 functions to display the initial state. The display of the initial state is, for example, Figure 5 (B) Figure 6 In step S110, the mapping switching processing unit 308 and the coordinate conversion unit (image forming unit) 305 function to perform Figure 5In the process of steps S112 and S113, the action mode switching processing unit 309 and the coordinate conversion unit (image forming unit) 305 function to perform the operation. Figure 6 (B) shows the display of the results.

[0201] [Effects of the embodiment]

[0202] In the information processing system of this embodiment, a tablet driver functions to switch the display mapped to tablet device 1 (the memory area corresponding to the display) through gesture operations on tablet device 1. Furthermore, in the information processing system of this embodiment, a tablet driver functions to switch the operating mode through gesture operations on tablet device 1. Thus, even if the only input device is tablet device 1, the multi-display function of the information processing system can be fully utilized without complicated operations.

[0203] [Modification]

[0204] In the above embodiment, for simplicity of description, the coordinate conversion unit 305 of the tablet driver 3 also functions as an image forming unit. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Of course, the image forming unit function may be separated from the coordinate conversion unit 305 and formed as a separate processing unit.

[0205] Furthermore, the operation button 103 of the tablet device 1 has been described as a push-button switch that can be pressed, but is not limited to this. The operation button 103 may also be a touch sensor structure that can be touched (contacted) by a user's finger or the like. Alternatively, a portion serving as an operation button may be provided on a portion of the operation surface 101S. In other words, the operation button 103 is not limited to being pressed; it may also be a touch sensor structure or an operating portion that can be tilted or returned, such as a lever operating portion. In other words, the operation button 103 may be a variety of operating portions that can be used to input an on / off function.

[0206] Furthermore, a predetermined operation button is provided on the electronic pen 2. When the button is pressed, status information notifying the button is transmitted from the electronic pen to the tablet device. Consequently, when this status information is transmitted from the electronic pen 2, the tablet device identifies the pointing operation as a gesture operation. In this case, the tablet device outputs the coordinate data along with the predetermined status information. This allows for distinguishing between normal position pointing operations and gesture-based operations, even without providing a predetermined operation button on the tablet device itself.

[0207] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, gesture operations are performed by bringing the electronic pen 2 into contact with the operating surface 101S of the tablet device 1. However, this is not limiting. For example, if the tablet device 1 employs electromagnetic induction, the trajectory of the electronic pen 2 can be detected by moving it above the operating surface 101S, for example, a few centimeters above the operating surface 101S. Thus, as long as the movement limit of the electronic pen 2 can be detected, gesture operations using the electronic pen 2 can also be performed above the operating surface 101S of the tablet device 1.

[0208] In the above embodiments, the tablet device 1 is described as a so-called tablet, but the present invention is not limited to this. The tablet device 1 can, of course, be a tablet with a display element. Tablets with display elements include liquid crystal tablets, which include an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch panel, and organic EL tablets, which include an OLED (Organic Electro Luminescence Diode) display and a touch panel. In addition, tablets with display elements can also be constructed using various display elements that can be combined with a touch panel.

[0209] When a flat panel with a display element is used as the flat panel device, for example, when a predetermined operation button is operated, the display screen of the flat panel with a display element is displayed. Figure 5 The display 5 (3) of (B) is displayed in the manner shown. This display can be realized by the tablet with a display element accepting the necessary information provided by the screen memory information storage unit 302 of the display driver 3. Thereafter, when the display position of the target display is indicated by the electronic pen 2, the tablet with a display element provides a switching instruction to the display corresponding to the indicated position to the tablet driver 3. In this way, the display mapped to the tablet with a display element can be changed. The switching instruction information only needs to include information indicating that it is an instruction to switch the display and information indicating the position of the display to be switched.

[0210] In the above embodiment, the gesture operation for instructing switching of the operation mode is described as drawing a circle, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Various gesture operations can be used as long as they can be distinguished from the gesture operation for switching the display mapped to the tablet device.

[0211] Note that when the action mode is switched from individual mapping mode to global mapping mode, the number of images displayed on the large display screen composed of multiple displays may be small. In one case, the image displayed by the display serving as the display of interest during the immediately preceding individual mapping mode, which can be grasped based on the screen memory area information, may be displayed on the large display screen.

[0212] Alternatively, images displayed by a display that frequently becomes the focus display can be displayed on the large display screen. In this case, for each display connected to the information processing device 4, the number of times it becomes the focus display can be counted as part of the information included in the screen memory area information. Alternatively, images displayed by a predetermined display can be displayed on the large display screen. In this case, the predetermined display can also be set by the user. This information can also be managed by adding it to the stored information in the screen memory area information storage unit 302 of the tablet driver 3.

[0213] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the information processing system is configured by connecting one tablet device 1 to the information processing device 4, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It is also possible to connect multiple tablet devices to one information processing device 4 to utilize a multi-display function. In this case, multiple tablet devices can be connected to the information processing device 4 using a single tablet driver, or a tablet device can be connected to the information processing device 4 using a different tablet driver for each of the multiple tablet devices.

[0214] In the former case, the multi-display function can be used in the same manner regardless of which tablet device is used. In the latter case, if the screen memory area information is made the same, the multi-display function can be used in the same manner regardless of which tablet device is used. In addition, if different screen memory area information is used in different tablet drivers so that different displays are used for each tablet device, it is possible to use different specifications of displays for each tablet device. In this case, it is necessary to delete the screen memory area information corresponding to the unusable displays from the screen memory area information corresponding to the multiple tablet devices, so that they cannot be used.

[0215] In the above embodiment, it is described that the display mapped to the tablet device 1 can be easily switched among the multiple displays 5 (1), 5 (2), 5 (3), ... connected to the information processing device 4 using the tablet device 1. However, this is not limiting. For example, the present invention can also be applied when another information processing device such as a notebook personal computer is used as an input device. In this case, various pointing devices such as a so-called mouse, trackball mouse, and joystick connected to the input device are used to perform position pointing operations and gesture operations.

[0216] <Using a tablet with a display function, but not using gestures to focus on display changes>

[0217] When a tablet computer with a display function (such as a liquid crystal tablet computer or an organic EL tablet computer) is used as a tablet device, in addition to switching the focus display in the manner described in the above embodiment, other corresponding switching methods can also be used. In the above embodiment, as a method for changing the correspondence between displays 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3) and tablet device 1, a sensor reads a gesture made by electronic pen 2 and determines which display corresponds. The following describes a case where the display mapped to the tablet device (focus display) is changed without using a gesture made by the electronic pen.

[0218] The information processing system of the example described below is also used Figure 1 The information processing system described is similarly configured to include a tablet device 1X, a tablet driver 3, an information processing device (PC) 4, and displays 5(1) and 5(2). However, the tablet device 1X in this example is a tablet with a display function. In addition, in this example, for simplicity of description, the case where two displays 5(1) and 5(2) are connected to the information processing device 4 is described as an example.

[0219] Figure 17 1X is a diagram for explaining the case where the mapping is switched to the display of the tablet 1X with a display function (focus display). Figure 17 As shown, the tablet 1X with a display function is provided with an operation surface 101S corresponding to a display screen 101D of a display element such as an LCD or OLED display. Therefore, the electronic pen 2 can be used to perform pointing input and drawing input on the operation surface 101S, and the input results are displayed on the display screen 101D.

[0220] and use Figure 1 Similarly to the case of the information processing system described above, the tablet 1X with a display function is connected to the information processing device 4 via the tablet driver 3 and functions as an input device of the information processing device 4. Figure 17 As shown, the tablet computer 1X with a display function can select one of three displays, namely, the display screen 101D of the tablet computer 1X and the displays 5 ( 1 ) and 5 ( 2 ) connected to the information processing device 4 , as a display of interest.

[0221] exist Figure 17In the state shown, different images are displayed on the display screen 101D of the tablet computer 1X with a display function, the display 5 (1), and the display 5 (2). For example, an image of a web page accessed via the information processing device 4 is displayed on the display 5 (1), and an image corresponding to the photo software executed by the information processing device 4 is displayed on the display 5 (2). In addition, an image corresponding to the drawing software executed on the tablet computer 1X with a display function is displayed on the display screen 101D of the tablet computer 1X with a display function. In other words, the focus display corresponding to the operation area of the operation surface 101S of the tablet computer 1X with a display function is set on the display screen 101D of the tablet computer 1X with a display function.

[0222] In this case, in order to change the focus display corresponding to the operation area of the operation surface 101S of the tablet with display function 1X, a so-called switching button TB is displayed on the display screen 101D, and the switching button TB is operated. Figure 17 The tablet with display function 1X uses either the operation button 104 provided on the upper left end or the operation button 105 provided on the upper right end to display the switching button TB on the display screen 101D and change the focus display.

[0223] Figure 18 1X is a diagram for explaining an example of operation when changing the display (focus display) mapped to the tablet with a display function 1X. Figure 18 In the example, by pressing the operation button 105 provided on the upper right side of the tablet with a display function 1X as indicated by arrow a, a switch button TB is displayed on the upper right side of the display screen 101D. The switch button TB is composed of a selection button that can be used as the focus display of the tablet with a display function 1X.

[0224] That is, in Figure 18 On the lower side, as shown in the enlarged display switching button TB, four selection buttons B1, B2, B3, and B4 are provided corresponding to the displays, which can be selected as the focus display. The selection button B1 is used to select the display 5 (1) as the focus display. The selection button B2 is used to select the display 5 (2) as the focus display. The selection button B3 is used to select the display screen 101 D of the tablet computer 1X with a display function as the focus display. The selection button B4 is used to select a large display consisting of the three displays, display 5 (1), display 5 (2), and the display screen 101 D of the tablet computer 1X with a display function, as the focus display.

[0225] By using the electronic pen 2 to select Figure 18The selection button corresponding to the target display among the four selection buttons B1, B2, B3, and B4 of the switch button TB displayed as shown can change (switch) the focus display. For example, by selecting the selection button B1, the focus display of the tablet with display function 1X can be set to display 5 (1). As a result, the operation of the electronic pen 2 on the operation surface 101 S of the tablet with display function 1X is reflected on the display 5 (1). In addition, in this case, there is no effect on the display of the display screen 101 D of the tablet with display function 1X. Therefore, the display image of the display screen 101 D of the tablet with display function 1X is the same as the display image of the display 5 (1).

[0226] Furthermore, by selecting the selection button B2, the focus display of the tablet computer 1X with a display function can be set to the display 5 (2). That is, the operation of the electronic pen 2 on the operation surface 101S of the tablet computer 1X with a display function is reflected on the display 5 (2). In addition, in this case, the display of the display screen 101D of the tablet computer 1X with a display function has no effect. Therefore, the display image of the display screen 101D of the tablet computer 1X with a display function is the same as the display image of the display 5 (2).

[0227] Furthermore, by selecting the selection button B3, the focus display of the tablet with display function 1X can be changed to the display screen 101D of the tablet with display function 1X. That is, the operation of the pen on the operation surface 101S of the tablet with display function 1X is reflected on the display screen 101D of the tablet with display function 1X. Therefore, in this case, the focus display of the tablet with display function 1X becomes its own display screen 101D. Therefore, this is a standard usage mode, and on the displays 5 (1) and 5 (2), for example, web pages, images of photo applications, etc., can be displayed differently from the display screen 101D of the tablet with display function 1X.

[0228] Furthermore, by selecting the selection button B4, the operation surface 101S of the tablet computer with a display function 1X is associated with all of the display 5(1), the display 5(2), and the display surface 101D. A single large display consisting of the three displays, the display 5(1), the display 5(2), and the display screen 101D of the tablet computer with a display function 1X, can be used as the focus display of the tablet computer with a display function 1X. Thus, the operation of the pen on the operation surface 101S of the tablet computer with a display function 1X is reflected on the single large display consisting of the three displays, the display 5(1), the display 5(2), and the display screen 101D of the tablet computer with a display function 1X.

[0229] In this manner, by pressing operation button 104 or operation button 105 of the tablet with display function 1X, the switch button TB is displayed. By selecting the corresponding button B1-B4 to be set, the focused display can be instantly changed (switched). In other words, the tablet driver 3 can receive position indication data from the tablet with display function 1X and switch the focused display.

[0230] In this example, in the tablet 1X with a display function, when the operation button 104 or the operation button 105 is operated, the switch button TB is displayed. Then, the tablet 1X with a display function determines which of the selection buttons B1, B2, B3, and B4 constituting the displayed switch button TB is operated, and provides the selected display as the indication information of the focus display to the tablet driver 3, thereby switching the focus display. Of course, when using Figure 17 、 Figure 18 In the case of the modified example described above, it is of course possible to change the focused display by the above-mentioned gesture.

[0231] In addition, Figure 18 In the example, the selection button B1 is associated with the display 5 (1), the selection button B2 is associated with the display 5 (2), and the selection button B3 is associated with the display screen 101 D of the tablet 1X with a display function. Furthermore, a large screen consisting of the display 5 (1), the display 5 (2), and the display screen 101 D is associated with the selection button B4. In this case, the "left screen" is displayed in the display area of the selection button B1 of the switching button TB, the "right screen" is displayed in the display area of the selection button B1, and the "this screen" is displayed in the display area of the selection button B3, which is easy for the user to understand. In addition, in the display area of the selection button B3, a display that is easy for the user to understand, such as "whole 1 screen", is displayed.

[0232] In addition, Figure 17 、 Figure 18 In the example, the display 5 ( 1 ), 5 ( 2 ), and the display screen 101D are used as the display that can be the focus display, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of selection buttons constituting the switch button TB can be determined by the number of displays that can be the focus display.

[0233] <Other Examples of Position Indicators>

[0234] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the focus display is changed by using a gesture of the electronic pen 2. Figure 17 、 Figure 18In the modified example described above, the switch button TB is also selected using an electronic pen. However, this is not limiting. If the tablet device 1 or the tablet with a display function 1X is equipped with a so-called touch sensor (a sensor capable of detecting the touch position of the operator's fingertip), the focused display can naturally be changed (switched) through a touch operation with the user's fingertip.

[0235] [other]

[0236] As described in the above embodiment, the production execution Figure 9 The tablet driver 3 shown in FIG. 3 can be implemented as software by executing a program that implements the functions of each component of the tablet driver 3 and can be executed by the control unit 401 of the information processing device 4. In this case, the screen memory area information storage unit 302 can utilize hardware resources of the information processing device 4, such as the non-volatile memory of the control unit 401 of the information processing device 4 and the storage device 402 of the information processing device 4. Furthermore, the tablet driver 3 can also be configured as software that executes on the tablet device 1 side.

[0237] In addition, it can also constitute a Figure 9 The tablet driver 3 shown is a hardware (circuit unit) tablet driver that represents the functions of each unit. The tablet device 1 and the information processing device 4 are connected via the tablet driver.

[0238] Additionally, as mentioned above, by generating an execution Figure 9 The tablet driver 3 shown in FIG. 4 is a program that controls the functions of each part of the tablet driver 3 and enables it to be executed by the control unit 401 of the information processing device 4, thereby realizing the tablet driver as software. Figure 15 、 Figure 16 The flowchart illustrates the processing procedure.

[0239] Furthermore, as described above, by determining the display mapped to tablet device 1, the memory area associated with that display is uniquely determined. Therefore, by determining the display mapped to tablet device 1, the memory area mapped to tablet device 1 is determined. Therefore, switching the display mapped to tablet device 1 is equivalent to switching the memory area mapped to tablet device 1.

[0240] [Explanation of Reference Numerals]

[0241] 1…tablet device, 101…sensor unit, 101S…operation surface, 102…position detection circuit, 103…operation button, 104…processing control unit, 2…electronic pen, 3…tablet driver, 301…memory area information acquisition unit, 302…screen memory area information storage unit, 303…position indication data reception unit, 304…button operation determination unit, 305…coordinate conversion unit (image forming unit), 306…data provision unit, 307…gesture determination unit, 308…mapping switching processing unit, 309…action mode switching processing unit, 4…information processing device, 401…control unit, 401M…mapping memory, 402…storage device, 403…tablet I / F, 403T…tablet connection terminal, 404…display I / F, T1, T2, Tn…display connection terminal, 5 (1), 5 (2), 5 (3), 5 (4), 5 (5), 5 (6)…display.

Claims

1. A display switching system for utilizing a plurality of displays connected to an information processing device through an input device, characterized in that: The input device is a device for indicating a position on the display, The information processing device comprises: establishing a correspondence unit for establishing a correspondence between the input area of the input device and a specified display area on the display; a determination unit for determining whether the input from the input device is a position indication input or a change indication input; as well as a changing unit that changes the correspondence between the input device and the predetermined display by inputting the change instruction, When the determination unit determines that a change instruction input has been made from the input device, the correspondence between the input device and the display is changed according to the change instruction input.

2. The display switching system according to claim 1, wherein: The input device is a tablet device, a tablet device with a display element, or other information processing devices and a pointing device.

3. The display switching system according to claim 1, wherein: The determination unit determines that the change instruction input is the change instruction input when a predetermined operation portion of the input device is operated or a predetermined action is performed by the input device.

4. The display switching system according to claim 1, wherein: When a predetermined operation portion of the input device is operated, the determination unit determines that the input from the input device is the change instruction input. The input from the input device is an operation of a pointing unit performed on the input device.

5. A display switching system for utilizing two or more displays connected to an information processing device through a tablet device, characterized in that: When a predetermined operating portion of the device or the operating element is operated, the tablet device sequentially outputs instruction data including status information about the operating portion in addition to coordinate data at predetermined timings. The information processing device comprises: an acquiring unit that acquires, based on attribute information of the two or more displays, memory area information that associates a memory area reserved in a predetermined storage unit of the information processing device corresponding to each of the displays with identification information of the two or more displays; a storage unit storing screen memory area information including the memory area information acquired by the acquisition unit and identification information identifying the memory area mapped to the tablet device; a receiving unit for receiving the instruction data output from the tablet device; a gesture determining unit for determining, when the instruction data sequentially received by the receiving unit includes the state information, content of an instruction based on a gesture operation based on the coordinate data of the instruction data; as well as The switching processing unit refers to the screen memory area information of the storage unit based on the instruction content determined by the gesture determination unit, and switches the determination information so as to determine the memory area after the change.

6. The display switching system according to claim 5, wherein: The information processing device can utilize an individual mapping mode and an overall mapping mode. In the individual mapping mode, processing can be performed using each of the two or more displays connected to the information processing device. In the overall mapping mode, processing can be performed using a single large display screen, which is considered to be formed by the two or more displays connected to the information processing device. The picture memory area information stored in the storage unit includes mode information indicating the current mode, When the instruction content determined by the gesture determination unit is an instruction to switch modes, the mode information is switched to information indicating a different mode by referring to the screen memory area information of the storage unit.

7. The display switching system according to claim 5, wherein: A display processing unit is provided, which, when the indication content determined by the gesture determination unit is an indication of a change of the memory area corresponding to the display, refers to the screen memory area information of the storage unit and displays the changed memory area corresponding to the change indication through the memory area mapped to the tablet device.

8. The display switching system according to claim 6, wherein: It also has a mode display processing unit. When the indication content determined by the gesture determination unit is a mode switching indication, the mode display processing unit refers to the screen memory area information of the storage unit and displays the changed mode through the memory area mapped to the tablet device.

9. A tablet driver program, executed by a computer mounted on an information processing device or a computer mounted on the tablet device, for utilizing two or more displays connected to the information processing device via the tablet device, characterized in that: When a predetermined operating portion of the device or the operating element is operated, the tablet device sequentially outputs instruction data including status information about the operating portion in addition to coordinate data at predetermined timings. The tablet driver performs: an acquiring step of acquiring, based on attribute information of the two or more displays, memory area information in which a memory area reserved in a predetermined storage unit of the information processing device corresponding to each of the displays is associated with identification information of the two or more displays; a recording step of recording screen memory area information in a predetermined storage unit, the screen memory area information including the memory area information acquired in the acquiring step and identification information identifying the memory area mapped to the tablet device; an accepting step of accepting the instruction data output from the tablet device; a gesture determining step of determining, when the instruction data sequentially accepted in the accepting step includes the state information, the instruction content based on the gesture operation based on the coordinate data of the instruction data; as well as The switching processing step refers to the screen memory area information of the storage unit based on the instruction content determined in the gesture determination step, and switches the determination information so as to determine the memory area after the change.

10. The tablet driver according to claim 9, wherein: The information processing device can utilize an individual mapping mode and an overall mapping mode. In the individual mapping mode, processing can be performed using each of the two or more displays connected to the information processing device. In the overall mapping mode, processing can be performed using a single large display screen, which is considered to be formed by the two or more displays connected to the information processing device. The picture memory area information stored in the storage unit includes mode information indicating the current mode, A switching processing step is included. In the switching processing step, when the instruction content determined by the gesture determination unit is a mode switching instruction, the mode information is switched to information indicating a different mode by referring to the screen memory area information of the storage unit.

11. The tablet driver according to claim 9, wherein: A display processing step is executed. In the display processing step, when the indication content determined in the gesture determination step is a change indication of the memory area corresponding to the display, the changed memory area corresponding to the change indication is displayed by referring to the screen memory area information of the storage unit through the memory area mapped to the tablet device.

12. The tablet driver according to claim 10, wherein: A mode display processing step is executed. In the mode display processing step, when the indication content determined in the gesture determination step is a mode switching indication, the changed mode is displayed by referring to the screen memory area information of the storage unit through the memory area mapped to the tablet device.

Images