Information processing device and input control method

Abstract

To reduce a risk of erroneous determination for a touch input due to heat.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes a first housing and a second housing. The first housing and the second housing are coupled in a relatively openable / closeable manner. The information processing unit includes: a touch panel mounted on the first housing; a temperature sensor; a temperature acquisition unit 21 that obtains temperature of the touch panel based on temperature measured by the temperature sensor; and a mode setting unit 23 that has a plurality of touch modes including a touch-disabled mode of disabling an input operation to the touch panel and a touch-enabled mode of enabling an input operation to the touch panel, and sets either one touch mode based on the temperature of the touch panel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device and an input control method. [Background technology]

[0002] There are cases where a laptop PC is used by connecting it to an external monitor while the case is closed. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] When a laptop PC equipped with a touch panel display is used with the cover closed, heat from the motherboard can be transferred to the touch panel display, causing localized increases in temperature of the touch panel display.

[0004] When the temperature of a touch panel display rises, the impedance of the touch sensor decreases, and a phenomenon called ghost touch occurs, where the touch sensor erroneously determines that a touch input has occurred in that area. This type of ghost touch is particularly likely to occur when the distance between the display surface and the touch sensor is relatively short, or when a structure or material with high thermal conductivity from the heat source to the touch panel display is used.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing device and an input control method that can reduce the risk of erroneous determination of touch input due to heat. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device comprising a first housing and a second housing, the first housing and the second housing being connected so as to be able to be opened and closed relative to one another, the information processing device comprising: a touch panel provided on the first housing; a temperature sensor; a temperature acquisition means for acquiring a touch panel temperature based on a temperature measured by the temperature sensor; and a mode setting means for setting one of the touch modes based on the touch panel temperature, the information processing device having a plurality of touch modes including a touch disabling mode for disabling input operations on the touch panel and a touch enabling mode for enabling input operations on the touch panel.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is an input control method for an information processing device comprising a first housing with a touch panel, a second housing, and a temperature sensor, wherein the first housing and the second housing are connected so that they can be opened and closed relative to one another, the input control method for the information processing device comprising: a temperature acquisition process for acquiring a touch panel temperature based on a temperature measured by the temperature sensor; and a mode setting process for setting one of a plurality of touch modes including a touch disabling mode for disabling input operations on the touch panel and a touch enabling mode for enabling input operations on the touch panel, the method being executed by a computer. Effect of the Invention

[0008] This reduces the risk of misjudgment of touch input due to heat. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating an example of a lid-open state. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating an example of a lid-closed state. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4]1 is a functional configuration diagram illustrating an example of functions provided in an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a touch invalidation determination process in the input control process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a touch validity determination process in the input control process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An information processing device and an input control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. A laptop PC will be described below as an example of the information processing device 1, but the information processing device 1 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, as described below, any information processing device may be provided with a first housing and a second housing, which are configured to be relatively openable and closable, and another example is a 2-in-1 type PC.

[0011] Figures 1 and 2 are schematic external views of an information processing device 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, with Figure 1 showing a state in which a first housing 2 is open relative to a second housing 3, the so-called lid-open state, and Figure 2 showing a state in which the first housing 2 is closed relative to the second housing 3, the so-called lid-closed state.

[0012] 1, the information processing device 1 includes a first housing 2 and a second housing 3. The first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are connected to each other by a connecting member 6 so as to be capable of being opened and closed relatively. An example of the connecting member 6 is a hinge.

[0013] The first housing 2 is substantially rectangular, and includes a touch panel display 5 provided on a surface facing the second housing 3. The touch panel display 5 has, for example, a display 5a (see FIG. 2) on which a touch panel 5b (see FIG. 2) that allows input with a pen or a finger is superimposed. Note that the structure of the touch panel display 5 may be any known technology, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0014] The second housing 3 is substantially rectangular, and an input device 4 is provided on a first surface of the second housing 3. The input device 4 is a user interface for a user to perform input operations. Examples of the input device 4 include a keyboard, a touchpad, a trackpoint, and the like. The input device 4 may be a software keyboard or the like. That is, the first surface of the second housing 3 may have a touch panel, and a screen such as a keyboard may be displayed on the touch panel to function as the input device 4.

[0015] Next, a hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the information processing device 1 includes, in addition to the above-mentioned input device 4 and touch panel display 5, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 11, a main memory (Main Memory) 12, a secondary storage (Secondary storage: memory) 13, an external interface 14, a communication interface 15, a temperature sensor 16, a Hall sensor 17, and the like. These components are connected to each other directly or indirectly via a bus 18, and cooperate with each other to execute various processes.

[0016] The CPU 11 controls the entire information processing device 1 by, for example, an OS (Operating System) stored in a secondary storage device 13 connected via a bus 18, and executes various processes by executing various programs stored in the secondary storage device 13. One or more CPUs 11 may be provided, and they may cooperate with each other to realize processes.

[0017] The main memory device 12 is composed of writable memory such as a cache memory or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and is used as a working area for reading out the execution program of the CPU 11, writing processing data by the execution program, and the like.

[0018] The secondary storage device 13 is a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The secondary storage device 13 is, for example, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Examples of the secondary storage device 13 include a ROM (Read Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and a SSD (Solid State Drive) flash memory. The secondary storage device 13 stores, for example, an OS for controlling the entire information processing device such as Windows (registered trademark), iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), various device drivers for operating peripheral devices in hardware, various application software, and various data and files. In addition, the secondary storage device 13 stores programs for implementing various processes and various data required for implementing various processes. A plurality of secondary storage devices 13 may be provided, and the above-mentioned programs and data may be divided and stored in each secondary storage device 13.

[0019] The external interface 14 is an interface for connecting to an external device. Examples of the external device include an external monitor, a USB memory, an external HDD, an external camera, etc. Although only one external interface is illustrated in the example shown in FIG. 3, multiple external interfaces may be provided.

[0020] The communication interface 15 functions as an interface for connecting to a network to communicate with other devices and transmitting and receiving information. For example, the communication interface 15 communicates with other devices by wire or wirelessly. Examples of wireless communication include communication through lines such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, mobile communication systems (3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, LTE, etc.), and wireless LAN. An example of wired communication includes communication through lines such as a wired LAN (Local Area Network).

[0021] The temperature sensor 16 is provided, for example, inside the second housing 3. There may be one or more temperature sensors 16. The temperature sensor 16 is arranged, for example, inside the second housing 3 at a location where the temperature is likely to rise. Examples include the vicinity of a motherboard accommodated inside the second housing 3, on the motherboard, and the vicinity of a power element. The temperature measured by the temperature sensor 16 is output to the CPU 11. In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 16 is described as being provided inside the second housing 3, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the installation position and the number of installed sensors are not particularly limited. For example, the temperature sensor 16 may be provided inside the first housing 2. The temperature sensor 16 may be provided on the surface of the first housing 2 or the surface of the second housing 3, in addition to the inside.

[0022] The Hall sensor 17 includes, for example, a Hall element in either the first housing 2 or the second housing 3, and a magnet in the other housing. As an example, the Hall element is disposed inside the first housing 2. The position where the Hall element is disposed corresponds to the position of a magnet (not shown) disposed inside the second housing 3. More specifically, the Hall element and the magnet are disposed so that the Hall element and the magnet face each other when the information processing device 1 is in a closed state where it is closed.

[0023] In the Hall sensor 17, a Hall element detects a magnetic field generated from a magnet arranged inside the second housing 3, and outputs the magnetic field detection result to the CPU 11. By the Hall element detecting the magnetic field, the CPU 11 can determine the open / closed state of the information processing device 1.

[0024] Fig. 4 is a functional configuration diagram showing an example of functions included in the information processing device 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the information processing device 1 includes an input control system 20. The input control system 20 includes, for example, a temperature acquisition unit 21, an open / close determination unit 22, a mode setting unit 23, and a notification unit 24.

[0025] A series of processes for realizing various functions of the input control system 20 is stored in the secondary storage device 13 or the like in the form of a program, for example, and the CPU (processor) 11 reads this program into the main storage device 12 and executes information processing and arithmetic processing to realize various functions. Note that the program may be pre-installed in the secondary storage device 13, provided in a state stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, or distributed via wired or wireless communication means. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage media include magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and semiconductor memories.

[0026] The temperature acquisition unit 21 acquires the touch panel temperature based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 16. For example, when one temperature sensor 16 is provided, the temperature acquisition unit 21 may acquire the temperature measurement value of the temperature sensor 16 as the touch panel temperature. Alternatively, a calculation formula for estimating the touch panel temperature from the temperature measurement value may be provided in advance, and the touch panel temperature may be acquired by calculation using the temperature measurement value in the calculation formula. Alternatively, when multiple temperature sensors 16 are provided, the touch panel temperature may be calculated from the measured values ​​according to a predetermined algorithm. For example, the maximum value of the measured values ​​of the multiple temperature sensors 16 may be set as the touch panel temperature, or the touch panel temperature may be acquired by performing statistical processing on the multiple temperature measurement values. Moreover, the temperature to be adopted as the touch panel temperature can be determined appropriately, and the invalid touch threshold and valid touch threshold described below can be set to appropriate values ​​according to the defined "touch panel temperature."

[0027] The open / close determination unit 22 determines the open / close state of the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 based on the output of the hall sensor 17. Specifically, the open / close determination unit 22 determines based on the output from the hall sensor 17 whether the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are in an open lid-open state, or the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are in a closed lid-closed state. The lid-closed state refers to, for example, a state in which the angle between the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 is approximately 0°, and a state in which the lid is not closed is referred to as a lid-open state.

[0028] The mode setting unit 23 has a plurality of touch modes including, for example, a touch disable mode for disabling input operations on the touch panel 5b and a touch enable mode for enabling input operations on the touch panel 5b. Here, the touch disable mode includes, for example, disabling input on the touch panel 5b, as well as making it impossible to sense touch input by, for example, forcibly reducing the sensitivity of the touch panel 5b to a predetermined value or lower. The mode setting unit 23 sets one of the touch modes based on the touch panel temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition unit 21 and the open / closed state of the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 determined by the open / close determination unit 22.

[0029] Specifically, the mode setting unit 23 sets the touch invalidation mode when a state in which the lid is closed and the touch panel temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined touch invalidation threshold is maintained for a predetermined period of time. In addition, the mode setting unit 23 sets the touch enable mode when the first condition, that is, the lid is in an open state, or the second condition, that is, the touch panel temperature is below a predetermined touch enable threshold, is satisfied after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the first condition or the second condition is satisfied. Here, the invalid touch threshold is, for example, a temperature threshold determined based on a temperature at which a ghost touch occurs. Also, the valid touch threshold is, for example, a temperature threshold determined based on a temperature at which a ghost touch does not occur. The invalid touch threshold and the valid touch threshold may be the same value or different values. When the invalid touch threshold and the valid touch threshold are different values, the invalid touch threshold is set to a value larger than the valid touch threshold.

[0030] The notification unit 24 notifies the user of the change in touch mode when the touch mode setting is changed by the mode setting unit 23. For example, the notification unit 24 notifies the user of the change in touch mode by displaying a message on the display 5a indicating that the touch mode has been changed. The notification method is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a sound. Also, the touch mode may be notified to the user by having a light-emitting element such as an LED and lighting it in a color corresponding to the mode.

[0031] Next, the input control process (input control method) executed by the input control system 20 of the information processing device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are flowcharts showing an example of the processing procedure of the input control process according to one embodiment of the present invention. The series of processes described below are realized, for example, by the CPU 11 reading out an input control program stored in the secondary storage device 13 into the main storage device 12 and executing information processing and arithmetic processing. The input control process includes, for example, a touch invalidation determination process (see FIG. 5) and a touch validity determination process (see FIG. 6). The touch invalidation determination process is repeatedly executed during a period in which the touch validity mode is set, and the touch validity determination process is repeatedly executed during a period in which the touch invalidation mode is set.

[0032] First, the touch invalidation determination process will be described with reference to FIG. The input control system 20 judges whether the lid is closed and the touch panel temperature Tc is equal to or higher than the predetermined touch invalid threshold T1 (SA1). As a result, if this condition is not met (SA1: NO), this process is repeated. On the other hand, if the lid is closed and the touch panel temperature Tc is equal to or higher than the touch invalid threshold T1 (SA1: YES), a timer is started (SA2), and then the system waits until the timer reaches a predetermined time (SA3: NO). When the timer reaches the predetermined time (SA3: YES), the system resets the timer (SA4), and then the system judges again whether the lid is closed and the touch panel temperature Tc is equal to or higher than the touch invalid threshold T1 (SA5). As a result, if this condition is not met (SA5: NO), the system returns to step SA1 and repeats the above process. On the other hand, if the lid is closed and the touch panel temperature Tc is equal to or higher than the predetermined touch invalid threshold T1 (SA5: YES), the system sets the touch invalidation mode (SA6). Next, a change in touch mode is notified (SA7), for example, a notification is given that the touch disable mode has been set, and this process ends.

[0033] Next, the touch validity determination process will be described with reference to FIG. The input control system 20 judges whether the lid is open (condition 1) or the touch panel temperature Tc is less than a predetermined touch effective threshold T2 (condition 2) (SB1). As a result, if neither of the conditions is met (SB1: NO), this process is repeated. On the other hand, if the lid is open or the touch panel temperature Tc is less than the touch effective threshold T2 (SB1: YES), a timer is started (SB2), and then the system waits until the timer reaches a predetermined time (SB3: NO). When the timer reaches the predetermined time (SB3: YES), the system resets the timer (SB4), and then the system judges whether the lid is open or the touch panel temperature Tc is less than the touch effective threshold T2 (SB5). As a result, if neither of the conditions is met (SB5: NO), the system returns to step SB1 and repeats the above process. On the other hand, if the lid is open or the touch panel temperature Tc is less than the touch effective threshold T2 (SB5: YES), the system sets the touch enable mode (SB6). Next, a change in the touch mode is notified (SB7), for example, notifying that the touch validation mode has been set, and this process ends.

[0034] As described above, according to this embodiment, there are multiple touch modes including a touch disable mode that disables input operations on the touch panel 5b and a touch enable mode that enables input operations on the touch panel 5b, and one of the touch modes is set based on the touch panel temperature and the open / closed state of the first housing 2 and the second housing 3. As a result, for example, when the information processing device 1 is used in a closed state (see FIG. 2) and the touch panel temperature rises, a touch disable mode is set to disable input operations on the touch panel 5b, making it possible to reduce the risk of erroneous determination of touch input due to heat. Furthermore, when the information processing device 1 is no longer in the closed state (for example, see FIG. 1), or when the touch panel temperature falls below the validity threshold, a touch validation mode is set in which input operations to the touch panel 5b are validated, allowing the user to perform touch input to the touch panel 5b.

[0035] Although the present disclosure has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the gist of the disclosure, and the forms in which such modifications or improvements are made are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the above embodiments may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, the processing flow described in the above embodiment is also one example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be rearranged, without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0036] [Variation 1] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the open / closed state of the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 is determined using the hall sensor 17, but this is not limited to the above. For example, instead of the hall sensor, a physical switch may be used to determine the open / closed state. Also, an acceleration sensor may be used to define the angle between the first surface of the first housing 2 and the first surface of the second housing 3 as a posture angle θ, and the open / closed state may be determined based on this posture angle θ.

[0037] [Modification 2] In the above-described embodiment, the touch mode is set based on the touch sensor temperature and the open / closed state of the first housing 2 and the second housing 3, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the touch mode may be set based on the touch sensor temperature regardless of the open / closed state of the first housing 2 and the second housing 3, in other words, regardless of the lid-closed state or the lid-open state. In this case, for example, the touch invalidation mode may be set when the touch sensor temperature is equal to or higher than the invalidation threshold, and the touch validation mode may be set when the touch sensor temperature is lower than the validity threshold.

[0038] [Modification 3] In the above embodiment, a timer is used in the touch invalidation determination process, but the timer may be omitted. That is, steps SA2 to SA5 may be omitted, and the touch invalidation mode may be set if the determination is positive in step SA1 (SA1: YES). Similarly, the timer may be omitted in the touch validity determination process, that is, steps SB2 to SB5 may be omitted, and the touch validity mode may be set if the determination is positive in step SB1 (SB1: YES).

[0039] [Modification 4] In the above embodiment, input operations are enabled or disabled on the entire touch panel 5b, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the touch panel 5b may be divided into a plurality of regions, and a temperature sensor for acquiring the touch panel temperature may be provided for each divided region, and a touch mode may be set. This makes it possible to disable touch input only in the region where the temperature has locally increased. As a result, the touch panel 5b can be used effectively in the lid open state.

[0040] Moreover, the above embodiment and modifications 1 to 4 can be applied in appropriate combinations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1: Information processing equipment 2: First unit 3: Second housing 4: Input device 5: Touch panel display 5a: Display 5b: Touch panel 6: Connecting member 11: CPU 12: Main memory 13:Secondary storage device 14: External interface 15: Communication interface 16: Temperature sensor 17: Hall sensor 18: Bus 20: Input control system 21:Temperature acquisition part 22: Open / close determination unit 23: Mode setting section 24:Notification Department

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising a first housing and a second housing, the first housing and the second housing being connected to each other so as to be relatively openable and closable, A touch panel provided on the first housing; A temperature sensor; a temperature acquisition means for acquiring a touch panel temperature based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor; a mode setting means for setting one of a plurality of touch modes including a touch disable mode for disabling an input operation on the touch panel and a touch enable mode for enabling an input operation on the touch panel, based on the touch panel temperature; An information processing device comprising:

2. an open / close determination means for determining an open / close state between the first housing and the second housing, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mode setting means sets the touch mode based on the touch panel temperature and an open / closed state of the first housing and the second housing.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the mode setting means sets the touch disable mode when the first housing and the second housing are closed and the touch panel temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined touch disable threshold.

4. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the mode setting means sets the touch disable mode when the first housing and the second housing are closed and the touch panel temperature is maintained at or above a predetermined touch disable threshold for a predetermined period of time.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the mode setting means sets the touch validation mode when the first housing and the second housing are in an open state or when the touch panel temperature is lower than a predetermined touch validation threshold value.

6. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the mode setting means sets the touch enablement mode when a first condition, in which the first housing and the second housing are in an open state, or a second condition, in which the touch panel temperature is less than a predetermined touch enable threshold, is satisfied a predetermined period of time after the first condition or the second condition is satisfied.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification unit that notifies a user of a change in the touch mode when the touch mode setting unit changes the touch mode setting.

8. An input control method for an information processing device including a first housing having a touch panel, a second housing, and a temperature sensor, the first housing and the second housing being connected to each other so as to be relatively openable and closable, a temperature acquisition step of acquiring a touch panel temperature based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor; a mode setting process for setting one of a plurality of touch modes including a touch disable mode for disabling an input operation on the touch panel and a touch enable mode for enabling an input operation on the touch panel based on the touch panel temperature; The input control method for an information processing device is executed by a computer.

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